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Institutional Research Themes

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Information Communication and Technology for Development - Prof Tembisa Ngqondi

ICT4D is a vehicle that presents possible easy adoption and use of Information and Communication Technology resources and modes for betterment of people’s day-to-day activities. Its impact can be within different environments such as household, a heavy industrial manufacturing sector, learning in educational sector and all other diverse specialities using ICT for their day-to-day activities.

The adoption of this theme addresses the revolution of different trends presented by revolving technologies in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Sub-themes:

ICT in Education
Cybersecurity
Internet of things
Data Analytics

Youth Development and Empowerment - Prof Estelle Boshoff

The focus of the theme is on the provision of quality and relevant education, meaningful and accelerated skills development, promoting youth employability and entrepreneurship and promoting the health and wellness of youth, and finally the massification of the national youth service. These are the ‘Big Five’ of youth development.

Sub-themes:

Tertiary Education and Career Development
Youth Employability, Entrepreneurship and Career Development
Skills Development
Youth Health and Healthy Lifestyles

Environmental and Socio-Economic Sustainability - Dr Thanyani Madzivhandila

Theoretically, there is an unavoidable link between environment, economy and society “political ecology”. This means that attempts to understand the environment and development problems has to stress the political dimensions of rights and usage of resources. This theme deals with the nexus between development and the environment, and how the relationship between the two concepts can be achieved to contribute not only to economic development, poverty alleviation and equality but also to environmental health and sustainability.

Sub-themes:

Poverty Reduction and Economic Development
Environmental Sustainability
Community Development

Post-Harvest Management and Food Security - Mr Sizwe Ngobeni

This theme focuses on issues of scale of production, storage, processing and value adding.

Sub-themes:

Climate change and food security. (mitigation)
Food production and food safety. (mycotoxins)
Post-harvest and processing (value adding)

Biodiversity Conservation and Development - Prof Daniel Parker

This theme deals with both fundamental and applied research in the fields of biodiversity conservation and the sustainable development and use of natural resources.

Sub-themes:

Invertebrate biodiversity conservation
Vertebrate biodiversity and human-wildlife conflict
Botanical diversity and indigenous knowledge systems
Water resource management

Early Childhood Development, Education and Training

This theme deals with multiple factors which impact on a child’s optimal development and functioning. These may be explored and researched retrospectively or be explored and researched with the intention to enhance and/or prepare the developing child, and/or stakeholders in early childhood development, to facilitate the optimal development and functioning of the child in its formative years, within the context of a fast-changing educational landscape.

Sub-themes:

Challenges and opportunities related to language and literacy development in multilingual contexts.
Aligning teacher education training with the demands of a changing society in the wake of the 4th Industrial Revolution