24 November 2017Official weekly newsletter of NUST

Namibia University of Science and TechnologyNUST_Namibia

@NUST_Namibia

NUST BRIEF website: www.nust.na

An award-winning university• Rated Best Higher Education Institution in Namibia (PMR, 2016)• Rated Most Innovative Institution in Namibia (PMR, 2016)

NUST wishes all students a happy vacation.

The aim of this gathering was to promote the teaching profession in Southern Africa and encourage collaboration in innovative pedagogies, research, advocacy and policymaking in teacher education on the continent. The first seminar was held in Malawi in 2015 and it culminated in the creation of the Southern Africa Teacher Education Platform (STEP). STEP is a collaborative forum for sharing innovative ideas about teaching, learning and support in Africa, particularly relating to large-scale reforms. Building on the foundation of the Malawi Seminar, the Windhoek gathering examined case studies of large-scale education reforms in Southern Africa, amongst others.Hon Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, the Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, addressed the delegates. “When resources are lacking during tough

financial times, we need to be innovative to address the challenges we are facing. In many cases, we have the solutions to our problems, but to be able to apply these solutions, we need to promote a culture of innovation in our societies, schools, universities and other organisations.”She added that the seminar came at the right time when countries across the world are currently striving to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and specifically Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.The seminar was attended by participants from Namibia, Madagascar, Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Angola, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe. Maurice Nkusi, the Acting Director of TLU, deemed the event a resounding success.

Educators share best teaching practices The International Seminar on Promoting Effective and Relevant Teaching in Southern and East Africa was held recently at NUST. The event, organised by the Teaching and Learning Unit (TLU), in collaboration with the Pedagogical Innovation Network (PIN) and the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, brought together educators, policymakers and researchers. The seminar was supported by the Open Society Foundation (OSF) and the Open Society Initiative in Southern Africa (OSISA).

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and various partners, organised a series of science-related activities during the recently held Science Week. The event, which took place at the Goethe Institut, was aimed at engaging and inspiring the public, mainly learners, to learn about the importance of science, engineering and technology. The NUST Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences was one of the exhibitors at the event. More than 200 learners took part in the event, which included the Science Film Festival and the UNESCO World Science Day.

NUST exhibits at Science Week

Dr Cyril Ogbokor, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Management Sciences, won the Best Conference Paper Award at the recently concluded Sixth Middle East Conference on Global Business, Economics, Finance and Banking. The conference took place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dr Ogbokor’s paper titled “Can foreign trade propel economic growth in Nigeria? Evidence from causality analysis” evaluates the impact of foreign trade on Nigeria’s growth within a dynamic framework provoked a lot of discussions during the conference. This is the second Best Conference Paper Award received by Dr Ogbokor this year. The study results in general reinforced the empirical literature on foreign trade and economic growth. The study concludes by providing policy choices that would enable Nigeria to maximize its benefits from participating in foreign trade.Dr Ogbokor holds a Doctorate degree in Economic Science, and he is a regular author and publisher in peer-reviewed scholarly journals.

Second- and third-year Agriculture students from the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sciences (DANRS), gained practical experience through a partnership with Augustineum Secondary School. The students and learners grew food using rainwater harvested from the school grounds. Previously, the rainwater would flow from the school grounds into a gully which led into a tributary of the Arebusch River. “An earth wall was therefore built in the gully to divert flowing rainwater into a ditch that is leveled out on a contour ditch. The water from rain showers is captured in the ditch where it soaks into the

ground to irrigate crops. If the ditch gets full of water from heavy rain showers, then the excess supply spills widely to irrigate land on which crops can be grown in the rainy season,” said Dr Ibo Zimmermann, the Deputy Director of the Department. Vegetables were planted below a contour ditch and around a compost-pit to receive the water. Water conservation is increasingly being encouraged in crucial sectors of the economy, such as the agriculture sector, and depending on the quantity, significant economic, social and environmental benefits can be achieved by using rainwater.

Harvesting rainwater for food production

NUST staff shines in Dubai

Augustineum Secondary School learners pictured digging a compost-pit.

Dr Cyril Ogbokor, Associate Professor: Faculty of Management Sciences.NUST staff demonstrating an experiment to learners at the Goethe Institut in Windhoek.

FROM LEFT, SEATED: Dr Hertha Pomuti, Director: National Institute of Educational Development (NIED); Honourable Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, Minister: Education, Arts and Culture; Velapi Mamba, Programme Manager of Inclusive Education: Open Society Initiative in Southern Africa (OSISA), and Maurice Nkusi, Acting Director: Teaching and Learning Unit, and other delegates, posing for a picture at the event.