The spotlight shone brightly on Unisa as scholars and established researchers, including academics, support staff and students virtually convened to unlock the secrets of reinvigorating research.

The three-day conference, themed “Reinvigorating Research in Higher Education Institutions: Unisa’s 150-Year Legacy Towards Inclusive Research Agenda” was hosted by the Regional Services Research Community of Practice (CoP) from 19 to 21 July 2023.

The CoP team was led by Dr Tšhegofatšo Makgakga (Chairperson: Research CoP), Dr Vuyokazi Sigaqa (Deputy Chairperson: Research CoP) and Bafana Mavimbela (Secretary: Research CoP).

The keynote presenters were Prof Thenjiwe Meyiwa (Vice-Principal: Research, Postgraduate Studies, Innovation and Commercialisation, Unisa), Prof Rachael Jesika Singh (Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Partnerships, University of Limpopo), Dr Hanna Gibson (Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, University of Essex) and Prof Kakoma Lunela (Professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg).

The programme directors were Dr Themba Mzangwa, Albert Nematandani and Penny Shezi.

Building on a rich legacy

ProfcThenjiwe Meyiwa

Meyiwa spoke about the purpose of the conference. "Reflecting that this is about reinvigorating higher education institution research, we have matured as the only international university in our land and the only university named after our country, South Africa," she said. "Today, we come together to build upon the rich legacy of enthusiastic research that you have all contributed over the years. Continue to work diligently on the papers you have been working on to ensure that they are fully published in accredited outlets."

Meyiwa emphasised the importance of research by highlighting its role during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown: "If you recall," she said, "the entire world relied on what research was directing in terms of finding solutions, and you will recall that it was towards research work and experiences of administrators, and findings that came from work colleagues to find solutions to the problems."

Meyiwa encouraged the attendees to see themselves as researchers: "By simply waking up in the morning and opening your curtains to see what the weather is like; you have conducted research." She further stated: "You do not need to necessarily be regarded as an academic or researcher for you to be conducting research."

Meyiwa motivated attendees to consider registering for or finishing their master’s or doctoral qualifications, and publishing if they had not already done so. "In that way," she continued, "you will be contributing to what research and literature have always told us, that is, populations and countries that have more postgraduate individuals tend to have a better economic outlook."

Meyiwa concluded by stating, "Present a paper, gather evidence, connect, collaborate, learn different methods, and submit that evidence in the form of reports, papers or books, as in this manner, we would be living up to reinvigorating the advancement of the knowledge economy and make a contribution to Unisa’s agenda of being a social justice university that responds to challenges and brings about the change we want to see."

Shared experiences

Prof Rachael Jesika Singh

Up next was Singh. "I am incredibly pleased to have been associated with the university and this division for several years," she stated. "It is also my pleasure to congratulate Unisa for 150 years of existence." In Singh’s presentation, titled "Reinvigorating Research in Higher Education: Towards an Inclusive Agenda", she spoke about the meaning of reinvigoration and reasons why research needs to be reinvigorated, including subheadings such as "Challenges", "Changes" and "Finding new solutions".

She answered the question "What does an inclusive research agenda look like?" by using a quadruple helix model (university, industry, government, community), science communication, problem-solving, race and gender as examples.

Singh stated that researchers should ask themselves the questions "How do I classify my problem?" and "Why do I want to solve this problem?". She then proceeded to "Final Realisation" and closed off her presentation by quoting Nelson Mandela: "There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than one you are capable of living."

How language affects human interaction

Dr Hanna Gibson

Speaking next was Gibson, who teaches a range of modules in the Language and Linguistics Department at the University of Essex. Her research is concerned with linguistic variation, specifically why, and how languages change. Gibson’s work explores the syntax and semantics of the Bantu languages and focuses on languages spoken in Eastern and Southern Africa. Her research includes syntax-semantics interface, Bantu languages, African languages, morphosyntax, language contact, language change and language description.

Gibson’s presentation was based on the different areas in Eastern and Southern Africa with regard to how language affect the way people interact with each other, whether it be in schools or in social settings.

Prof Kakoma Lunela

Luneta, the final keynote speaker, presented his research titled "Critical Perspective of Publishing in Academia", and used subjective experiences in his presentation. He spoke on topics such as "What is academic scholarship and writing?", "Concerns about writing and publishing", "Why we write" and "Conceptualising your writing argument." 

During the questions-and-answers session, there was a vibrant exchange of critical discourse among the conference participants. This demonstrated the delegates’ profound interest in research. The conference was a resounding success, with close to two hundred delegates attending each day. The presenters appreciated the valuable feedback received from fellow experts.

#Unisa150 

* By Lukhetho Mbanjwa, Communication and Marketing Intern, Unisa Eastern Cape Region