Events and Projects
-
Breaking Epistemic Inertia in Teacher Education in Southern Africa
Professor Felix Maringe, University of the Witwatersrand
Drawing on an ongoing project on transformation in higher education across Sub-Saharan Africa, Professor Maringe argues that teacher education in Southern Africa has undergone significant reform without achieving genuine transformation, a distinction rooted in what he terms epistemic inertia: the persistence of dominant Western knowledge traditions and institutional routines despite changing societal needs. While teacher capacity across the region has grown, teacher capabilities remain anchored to a Western canon, sustained by colonial curricular legacies, donor-driven reform processes, weak research-practice-community linkages, and resource deficiencies.
With Southern Africa facing a convergence of pressures, demographic growth, digital disruption, labour market shifts, and widening inequality, the presentation identifies four pathways capable of breaking this inertia: epistemic pluralisation, integrating African and indigenous knowledge systems alongside global scholarship; community-embedded teacher education that reconnects learning to local realities; the development of research and innovation ecosystems linking universities, schools, communities, and policy; and digital transformation coupled with leadership and policy reform that enables genuine institutional experimentation.
The overarching call is for epistemic renewal as the precondition for any meaningful transformation of teacher education in the region.
-
University of the Witwatersrand & Moray House School of Education and Sport
University of the Witwatersrand (UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education for Diversity and Development) & Moray House School of Education and Sport
Understanding Decolonisation in a Globalised WorldOn 18 March 2026, the University of the Witwatersrand and Moray House School of Education and Sport co-hosted a hybrid session titled "Learning Beyond Borders" as part of the transdisciplinary course Understanding Decolonisation in a Globalised World. The session convened participants in person and online to exchange perspectives on decolonisation across different institutional and national contexts.
Guided discussion covered how decolonisation is approached and embedded within institutions, counterintuitive insights on the topic, and an open exchange of questions and areas of interest. The session was designed as a dialogue rather than a lecture, with the south-north institutional pairing enabling a broad and balanced range of perspectives. The central questions that guided the hybrid session can be found in the slides attached.
-
Part Two: Implementing Transformative Pedagogies in Complex Educational Contexts
The second portion of this workshop introduces participants to transformative pedagogical approaches that respond to the complexities of contemporary South African classrooms. Moving beyond traditional classroom management, the session explores transformative pedagogies rooted in African educational philosophies that are community-based, culturally affirming, holistic, dialogical, and inclusive. These approaches emphasize collaborative learning over individualism, multimodal and multilingual practices, critical consciousness and social justice, and activism-oriented education that nurtures student agency for social change.
Participants will engage with a heuristic framework for pedagogical responsiveness that acknowledges the complexities teachers face, including diverse learner needs, systemic inequalities, and resource constraints, while providing practical pathways toward creating classrooms where every child is truly seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.
-
Implementation of the pedagogical shifts within different educational contexts
Following the presentations and facilitated discussions, teachers and middle managers engage in collaborative group work designed to translate theory into practice. Each team examines a contextually relevant case study featuring a lesson plan grounded in traditional top-down instructional methods. Through critical analysis and creative redesign, teams are allocated dedicated time to develop an alternative lesson plan that authentically integrates African educational philosophies, incorporating elements such as community-based learning, dialogical pedagogy, cultural affirmation, and collaborative knowledge construction.
Upon completion, each team presents their reimagined lesson plan to the full cohort, articulating their pedagogical rationale and highlighting how their approach addresses learner needs, fosters inclusive participation, and promotes transformative learning.
The workshop concludes with a plenary discussion that creates space for collective reflection, cross-pollination of ideas, and the identification of practical strategies for implementing these pedagogical shifts within participants' own educational contexts.
-
Seminar 2: Graduate Seminar Series: Lessons from South Africa and Japan
Prof. Cuthbert & Prof. Eunice Nyamupangedengu
In this seminar, we spotlight pressing social justice issues within South African STEM education and explore how the Topic-Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TSPCK) framework can be leveraged to advance inclusive teaching.
Drawing on research and experiences from Prof. Nyamupangedengu work, we examine how STEM teacher educators can prepare pre-service teachers for socially just practices that respond meaningfully to diversity in classrooms. The seminar will critically reflect on the implications of these insights for STEM teacher education globally, with a particular focus on building inclusive pedagogies in complex and unequal contexts like South Africa.
University of the Witwatersrand
Professor Ruksana Osman, UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education for Diversity and Development and Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor
The University of Tokyo
Professor Masaaki Katsuno, Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of Education
Date: 16 October 2025 | Time: 09:00 am SAT | Venue: Online or in person in Room B108 Bohlaleng Block, Wits School of Education
Facilitators:
Dr Douglas Andrews & Dr Dale Langsford
-
Seminar 1: Graduate Series Seminar from South Africa and Japan
Prof. Elizabeth Walton & Prof. Lee Rusznyak
The presenters will describe the historical, socio-economic and conceptual shifts in South African education in relation to global developments around diversity and inclusion. They will then draw on their individual and joint conceptual and empirical work on preparing teachers for inclusive classrooms.
University of the Witwatersrand
Professor Ruksana Osman, UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education for Diversity and Development and Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor
The University of Tokyo
Professor Masaaki Katsuno, Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of Education
Date: 2 July 2025 | Time: 09:00 am SAT | Venue: online or in person in Room B108 Bohlaleng Block, Wits School of Education
Facilitators:
Dr Douglas Andrews & Dr Dale Langsford
-
New teachers' support program
A Forum member will develop an exciting support programme for early-career teachers that adopts a reflexive and research-informed approach to classroom practice. The initiative is currently being piloted by the Jakes Gerwel Fellowship across three South African provinces.
This project will be supported through dedicated grant funding.
-
Pedagogical resource materials development project
A Forum member will work jointly with the UNESCO Section for Global Citizenship and Peace Education to develop pedagogical resource materials. These materials will support the Colonialism and Its History in Africa project, which forms part of the second phase of the Priority Flagship Programme. The initiative aims to contribute to critical, historically grounded, and contextually relevant teaching resources that advance peace education and global citizenship through a nuanced understanding of Africa's colonial past.
-
Transforming STEM Teacher Education
The Transforming STEM Teacher Education in South Africa through Self-Directed Open Educational Practices (TED-SOEP) is a large, collaborative project involving multiple partners, including universities from Europe and South Africa and funded by Eramus+. This initiative aims to enhance the capacity of STEM lecturers and students in teacher education programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The project's team consists of the Chair, Forum members, and two early career academics from the School of Education, who will work together with the UNESCO Chair in Multimodal Learning and Open Educational Resources (OER) at North West University.
-
School leadership mentoring project
The Chair, in collaboration with a member of the Forum, will launch a specialized Master of Education (M.Ed.) programme called the MEL Project, designed to support the development of aspiring school leaders. This two-year programme will enroll a select cohort of in-service middle managers who demonstrate a strong interest in transitioning into formal leadership roles within schools. A central feature of the programme will be a structured mentorship component, pairing early-career school leaders with experienced principals in one-on-one mentoring relationships.
This mentorship model will form the basis of a longitudinal research study, aimed at documenting and analysing the developmental trajectories, challenges, and professional growth of both mentors and mentees throughout the programme. The Independent Association of Schools will fund this initiative.
-
Hybrid Maths knowledge for teaching project
The Hybrid Maths Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) development project, led by our valued network member at Dublin City University, is a collaboration between Dublin City University and the South African NGO OLICO. This initiative focuses on improving mathematics teaching and learning. The project will explore the processes and outcomes associated with an innovative WhatsApp-based course on "Maths Knowledge for Teaching."
This course is being tested in South Africa in conjunction with primary after-school math clubs run by teachers and youth facilitators. This initiative aligns with the mission of the Chair, which aims to enhance the pedagogical skills and content knowledge of both in-service and pre-service teachers. The project is funded by Research Ireland.
-
Knowledge partnership project for reading competencies
The Chair, in collaboration with our esteemed network partner, the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), is embarking on an exciting initiative aimed at enhancing teacher training in the vibrant state of Jharkhand, India. Renowned for its rich cultural heritage and significant indigenous population, Jharkhand presents unique challenges and opportunities in the field of education.
This innovative teacher education program will concentrate on developing reading competencies among primary school students, fostering essential literacy skills that are vital for academic success and lifelong learning. The anticipated outcome of this initiative is the creation of a comprehensive policy brief, which will serve as a strategic guide for educational stakeholders. This initiative is generously supported by Indian grant funds.
-
Spring School on ‘Proximate Worlds from the South’ held in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Global South Studies, at the University of Tubingen
Prof. Ruksana Osman and Dr. Douglas Andrews were invited to participate in a Spring School on ‘Proximate Worlds from the South’ held in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Global South Studies, at the University of Tubingen. This vibrant event brought together esteemed academics from around the world, each sharing their insights on critical themes such as inclusion, social justice, and decoloniality, aimed at inspiring university postgraduate students.
The experience was truly enriching, as it provided a platform to showcase our research work in the UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education for Diversity and Development. We used the opportunity to focus on the vital role of school leadership in fostering inclusive educational environments. We delved into the intricate interplay of personal, political, and academic factors that influence the development and sustainability of inclusive teaching practices in the global South. Below are the slides we presented during this productive forum, highlighting the complexities and the transformative potential of our work.
-
Teacher professional development through Knotworking
Teacher professional development through Knotworking: facilitating transformational agency to overcome constraints to teaching in relation to disruptive events.
-
GALA Network and UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education for Diversity and Development Conference
A successful GALA Network and UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education for Diversity and Development Conference 2023 was held at the University of Witwatersrand, April 19, 2023.
-
World Teachers’ Day celebration event presentation slides, 2023: Wits School of Education
UNESCO World Teachers’ Day, 6 October 2023. The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage.
-
Pedagogical Responsiveness in Complex Contexts, Invited presentation at a symposium hosted by the NIEPA
Pedagogical responsiveness suggests a disposition or orientation to pedagogy that is sensitive, open and empathetic, not only to individual students or groups of students, but to wider factors in that community and context. Responsiveness is active.
-
UNESCO Joint Chair seminar (WITS and UWC)
This seminar is the first of its instalments, held in collaboration between the UNESCO Chairs of the University of the Western Cape and University of Witwatersrand, Prof. Marion Keim and Prof. Ruksana Osman.