Latest news with #NWU
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
NWU warns students of admissions fraud
The NWU has warned prospective students to be vigilant of possible admissions fraud. In a Facebook post the university noted that scams are being run, where individuals claim to be able to help students secure a place at the university for a fee. According to Louis Jacobs, director of corporate communications at the NWU, the university does not charge any fee for assistance in admissions. 'Only the official Admissions Office can assist with applications. Report any suspicious activity to report-fraud@ Jacobs said. Learn more about fraud: At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Game On for Learning: NWU launches Arcademia in South Africa
In an exciting move that promises to reshape how we think about education, the North-West University (NWU) has joined hands with the University of Lincoln in the UK to bring Arcademia, a dynamic, game-based learning initiative, to South Africa. This collaboration stems from a formal memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two institutions in November 2023. At the heart of this partnership lies a shared belief: that learning can be innovative, hands-on and even … fun. Born at the University of Lincoln in 2018 as the Research Arcade, Arcademia began as a simple idea to let students create digital games and share them with others. But it quickly became something more. Today, it is a fully fledged platform where students and staff co-design original games, showcased on custom-built arcade machines across the Lincoln campus. 'By 2025, Arcademia has evolved into a vibrant digital ecosystem with multiple arcade cabinets, a desktop launcher and a growing library of student-made games built on platforms ranging from WebGL to native desktop frameworks. It is playful, yes – but it is also powerful. A tool for engagement, creativity, and real-world learning,' says Dr Lance Bunt, senior lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Information Systems at the Vanderbijlpark Campus. Now, the NWU is gearing up to bring Arcademia to life on South African soil. Plans are in motion to install arcade cabinets across all three NWU campuses, creating exciting new spaces where students can learn, interact and experiment across disciplines. Professor Estelle Taylor, director of the School of Computer Science and Information Systems (SCSIS) explains, 'Arcademia at the NWU is about more than just games. It is about access, opportunity and using technology to break down barriers. Inspired by the success of a similar initiative in Lincoln, the NWU aims to use these installations to foster local game development, host game jams, and create opportunities for underprivileged young people to engage with digital technologies in a fun and meaningful way.' At its core, this collaboration is a celebration of what happens when education, creativity, and technology come together. Arcademia is not just a project – it is a shared commitment between the NWU and the University of Lincoln to rethink what learning can be. 'It also aligns perfectly with the NWU's broader goals of promoting student mobility, academic exchange and innovation in sustainable, tech-driven education,' says Dr William van Blerk, senior lecturer and subject chair at the School of Computer Science and Information Systems on the Vanderbijlpark Campus. Through Arcademia, the two institutions are quite literally building a bridge – between campuses, countries, and communities. As the NWU prepares to launch its first Arcademia cabinets, excitement is building. Students and staff alike are looking forward to a new kind of learning space – one where curiosity, collaboration and creativity take centre stage. With this partnership, the NWU and the University of Lincoln are not just reimagining education. They are making it more inclusive, more engaging, and a whole lot more interactive. This initiative would not have been possible without the support of the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG) funded International Hybrid Teaching Mobility project, which is dedicated to provide a platform for academics as university teachers to create international teaching partnerships for teaching development. Dr Marieta Jansen van Vuuren, Project Leader for the International Hybrid Teaching Mobility collaborations, explains: 'The CTL supports and facilitates internationalisation activities through a professional development strategy with a focus on internationalisation that can create global opportunities to develop a future-ready university teacher who can guide and facilitate learning to prepare future-ready graduates. Collaborations such as Arcademia create an atmosphere of intellectual excitement, through the promotion of scholarly work on teaching and learning to capture and foster reflective practice and innovation that shapes global awareness and intercultural collaboration for both university teachers and students alike.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Mail & Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
Academic offers mental health support to education assistants placed at North West schools
Dr Khido Ramadie. As Phase 5 of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) prepares to place thousands of young education assistants in schools across South Africa, support for their mental and emotional well-being is coming into sharper focus. In the North West province, an academic from the North-West University (NWU) is stepping in to provide such support to the 1 326 assistants allocated to the province. Dr Khido Ramadie, a mental health counsellor and academic in the NWU's Faculty of Education, is working closely with the North West Provincial Department of Education to offer mental health and wellness support to the province's youth education assistants. 'These young assistants are often caught between being learners and authority figures,' says Dr Ramadie. 'That can lead to identity challenges, self-doubt and social isolation, especially in unfamiliar school environments.' BEEI Phase 5, scheduled to begin in June 2025, forms part of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative. It provides job opportunities to young people while easing the workload on educators. However, the psychological toll on participants has drawn increasing attention. 'Many of them experience anxiety, burnout and financial stress due to delayed or inconsistent stipends,' says Dr Ramadie. 'Support must be holistic, covering emotional care, financial literacy, physical wellness and a sense of belonging.' Her services include wellness workshops, peer support structures and access to counselling. The initiative also promotes physical health through education on nutrition, managing fatigue and encouraging balanced workloads to reduce absenteeism. 'We are not addressing mental health in isolation,' she explains. 'We are creating a framework that equips youth to cope in demanding school settings and develop personally while contributing meaningfully to the education sector.' Using research-informed methods, Dr Ramadie and her team will monitor participant well-being throughout the programme, providing data-driven insights to inform support strategies. 'This is about more than just filling posts,' she says. 'It's about ensuring that those who are placed in schools are emotionally and physically ready to make a lasting impact.' As BEEI Phase 5 gets under way, the focus is shifting from placement alone to sustainable support, ensuring that those who are hired are also heard.
Mail & Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
Exploring new paths in tackling the big three infectious diseases
Prof Joe Viljoen. Just a few drops of oil and water may be enough to change how the world treats tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/Aids – the 'big three infectious diseases', also known as BTIDs. This was the central message delivered by Prof Joe Viljoen during her inaugural lecture at the North-West University's (NWU's) Potchefstroom Campus on 13 June 2025. Prof Viljoen, from the Faculty of Health Sciences, presented her work under the title: 'Combating the BTIDs using innovative self-emulsification drug delivery systems.' Her lecture focused on how self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDSs) can improve treatment for TB, malaria and HIV/Aids. 'These diseases are mostly treated with drugs that are highly lipophilic (water insoluble),' explained Prof Viljoen. 'That makes them difficult to absorb, especially for patients who are malnourished and unable to take the high-fatty meals required for proper drug uptake.' Harnessing the body's natural movement SEDDSs are oil-based formulations combined with surfactants and co-surfactants. Once swallowed or applied to the skin, they mix with the body's fluids and form fine emulsions without the need for external mixing equipment. 'With just the body's natural movement, for example, peristalsis in the stomach, SEDDSs form into very small droplets that help drugs dissolve and be absorbed more effectively,' she said. These delivery systems further improve bioavailability by enabling drugs to bypass the liver's first-pass metabolism through lymphatic transport. For skin-based applications, Prof Viljoen explained the importance of choosing oils that help the drug pass through the skin where water is limited. 'We have to carefully balance the oily and water-loving components. Natural oils are key, as they help the drug penetrate the skin barrier and are better accepted by consumers due to being viewed as safer.' Challenges in developing SEDDSs include selecting the correct ingredients, ensuring stability and controlling droplet size to regulate drug release. Tools such as pseudoternary phase diagrams help design fixed-dose combinations, especially where drugs have different solubility characteristics. 'These systems are scalable, stable and can be produced at relatively low cost,' said Prof Viljoen. 'They could make a significant difference in the treatment of infectious diseases, particularly in low-resource settings.' The lecture concluded with a call for interdisciplinary efforts to advance the development of SEDDS-based therapies.
Zawya
13-06-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Breaking the HIV bottleneck: Why sub-Saharan Africa must lead the way?
The global fight against HIV-1 has often been framed as a success story of science, funding and international collaboration. But as the virus evolves, so too must our strategy. A recent commentary in nature reviews microbiology, led by Dr Monray Williams of the North-West University (NWU) in South Africa, issues a stark warning: global complacency must end, and sub-Saharan Africa must be placed at the centre of the research agenda, or risk losing control of the HIV-1 epidemic. Dr Monray Williams Despite accounting for more than two-thirds of global HIV-1 infections, sub-Saharan Africa remains a research blind spot. Most studies continue to focus on subtype B, common in the West, but representing only 12% of global cases. Subtype C, which is responsible for over half of global infections and dominant in sub-Saharan Africa is significantly understudied. This imbalance, argues Dr Williams and his co-authors, undermines the development of effective treatments, vaccines, and, ultimately, a cure. The message is sobering. HIV-1's remarkable diversity, driven by its error-prone replication and frequent recombination, makes understanding its many forms crucial. Subtype-specific variations influence everything from disease progression and drug resistance to vaccine effectiveness. Yet, 54% of global sequence data derives from subtype B, compared with a mere 15% from subtype C. Even key viral proteins, such as gp120 and Nef, are far better characterised in subtype B. Dr Williams, a researcher in the biomedical and molecular metabolism research unit at NWU, puts it plainly: 'We cannot end a global pandemic by studying just a fraction of its biology.' The data he and his colleagues present are stark. The Congo Basin, thought to be the origin of the HIV-1 pandemic, holds the highest viral diversity, yet remains largely unexplored. These unstudied lineages may contain forms resistant to current interventions or capable of fuelling future outbreaks. South Africa, among the countries hardest hit by HIV, ranks third globally in research output. Yet even here, subtype B dominates scientific focus. Subtypes A, D, and numerous recombinant forms, each with distinct clinical and epidemiological profiles, are dangerously under-analysed. The commentary warns that this neglect could prove disastrous if new variants arise with increased transmissibility or drug resistance. However, the authors do not stop at diagnosis. They propose a bold corrective strategy aptly named Harness to address these disparities and reshape the global health research landscape. At its core is the principle of self-reliance. African countries must strengthen their own research capabilities by investing in local laboratories, biobanks, genomic surveillance systems, and, critically, the training of future scientists. Alarmingly, Africa currently contributes just 2% of global biobank authorship, a shortfall that threatens sustained progress. The paper also advocates for deeper South–South collaboration. By exchanging data, tools, and expertise within Africa and across the global South, the continent can pioneer a fairer, more representative research model. Funding, too, should reflect disease burden – not the preferences of external donors. Too often, foreign aid distorts priorities in favour of Northern concerns, leaving African researchers underfunded and marginalised. Structural reform is essential to challenge the dominance of Northern institutions in setting the global health agenda. African-led research must be ethical, accountable, and community-driven – sensitive to the cultural and socio-economic realities that shape public health. As Dr Williams and his colleagues argue, reducing stigma, ensuring equitable access, and listening to affected communities are as vital as gene sequencing. Recent cuts to global health initiatives such as PEPFAR have heightened the need for regional autonomy. Yet Dr Williams sees opportunity amid retreat. 'This is the moment for Africa to reclaim agency over its health future,' he writes. This is not merely a scholarly contribution, it is a rallying cry. The end of the HIV-1 pandemic will not be dictated from Brussels or Boston alone. It will emerge from the laboratories, clinics, and communities of Africa if the world is wise enough to invest accordingly. The science is conclusive. The politics, as ever, remains the harder struggle.
