Dr Lettah Sikhosana, a young scholar in Environmental Education, completed her PhD in two years, at the age of 27, at Unisa. Earning her the Youngest Female Doctoral Graduate Award at the Unisa 2023 Research and Innovation Awards.

Dr Lettah Sikhosana

Having been raised by supportive parents who value education above anything, despite never having had the opportunity to acquire a higher education qualification themselves, Sikhosana positively used that experience to continue with her studies after matric, towards an undergraduate qualification and then postgraduate studies.  

"With the little that my parents had, regardless of their occupation (dad as a truck driver and mom as a domestic worker at the time), they made sure that my siblings and I lacked nothing regarding our studies," she says with admiration.

Today, Sikhosana has a Doctor of Philosophy in Education, specialising in Environmental Education; master’s and honours degrees in education, both in Environmental Education; and a Bachelor of Education in Senior and FET Phases, which she obtained cum laude. She obtained all these qualifications through Unisa.

Sikhosana, a former teacher at Buhlebesizwe Secondary School in Mpumalanga, is currently employed as a lecturer at the College of Education (CEDU), Unisa.

She also serves as the Chair for Research and Innovation, Postgraduate Degrees and Commercialisation at the Department of Science and Technology Education, CEDU.

Balancing work, studies and family life

"Balancing work, studies and family life was not easy," Sikhosana reflects. Her parents and late elder siblings worked far from home and only returned home on weekends. As a result, she had to take care of her younger siblings and prepare them for school at a young age.

"That, in essence, taught me independence and the ability to juggle all the responsibilities I had at a tender age. I grew up with a culture of having to learn and knowing how to multi-task, something I instilled in my life and day-to-day activities," Sikhosana says.

During her studies, she formed a routine where she would do all her work tasks during the day, rest in the afternoon and focus on her doctoral research until the early hours of the morning. "This is when I realised that I am nocturnal," she says fondly.

Her achievement of obtaining a PhD in two years was made possible through the endless support of her supervisor, Prof Awelani Mudau, and family and friends.

Sikhosana also received support from the Mpumalanga Department of Education in the Nkangala district and selected circuits, as well as the primary schools, school principals, members of school governing bodies, general workers, food handlers, teachers and learners, who participated in her study.

She is also grateful and appreciative of the financial support provided by Unisa.

Research that promotes environmental awareness and education

Sikhosana’s research interest in environmental education, aimed at promoting environmental awareness and education, started in 2017. "I am interested in acquiring knowledge-based perspectives from around the world, to gain new experiences and train myself on how to handle a wide range of challenges," she states.

Environmental education is an important theme that is infused and must be integrated into teaching and learning. She shares that, through environmental education, people can better understand the world around them and, in return, know how to take proper care of the world so that it can become better and more sustainable.

The primary issue in South Africa is that schools generate enormous amounts of solid waste, and some have minimal or no waste management practices in place.

During Sikhosana’s doctoral research period, she developed and implemented a sustainable intervention strategy for solid waste management titled Sustainable Intervention Strategy for Solid Waste Management Through Partnerships (SISS-WMP) at primary schools in the Nkangala District of Mpumalanga. 

She says it is imperative that, with all the other strategies not resulting in sustainable outcomes, an alternative, a sustainable intervention strategy for solid waste management, be implemented through partnerships to assist schools in managing the solid waste they generate.

Young and vibrant Sikhosana is currently focused on developing her career, growing as a researcher, scholar and academic, and enhancing and acquiring more knowledge in her field of specialisation. She also plans to collaborate with other national and international experts in environmental education and further research fields for inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary research while learning more from them.

Stay prepared

"Often, as young people, we beat ourselves up for missing the greatest lifetime opportunities in our personal lives, studies and work because we are unprepared for them or not ready for change," says Sikhosana.

She has the following advice to affirm young people’s role in society: "Stay prepared and ready for transformation so that, whenever opportunities are presented to you, you can grab them with both hands and make the best out of it."

#Unisa150

* By Mpho Moloele, PR and Communications, Department of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation