DVC RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

Feza is a distinguished researcher and a highly decorated mathematician who expresses mathematics as an art form and a deeply African rooted philosophy citing that “as Africans we solve mathematical problems on a daily basis”.

Professor Feza said that this recognition, which took place at the Palacio de Congresos, Alicante, Spain, had reaffirmed the impact of her work in the global sphere.

“I have been recognised in a number of spaces, here at home in the African space and now internationally. It shows that the work I started at a very young age is making an impact because sometimes we don’t get to see whether the work we do is making an impact or not.

So, I want to encourage young and upcoming researchers to know that if you apply your mind and understand what you’re doing, you will make an impact and there will be recognition,” she said.

In addition to receiving the honorary award, Feza delivered the keynote address and shared her expertise and insights on advancing mathematics education and early childhood learning in Africa.

In her address she noted with concern the low rankings African countries receive on international assessments.

“International assessments like TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), SACMEQ (Southern and Eastern African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality) and PASEC (Program for the Analysis of Educational Systems) consistently rank African countries near the bottom globally,” she said.

“While some schools in South Africa’s Western Cape, urban Rwanda and high-performing districts in Kenya achieve results comparable to lower middle-income countries in Asia, rural schools often perform at levels typical of conflict afflicted states,” Prof. Feza added.

Part of Feza’s accolades include being a C -rated NRF researcher, devising an English-Xhosa Mathematics dictionary and actively contributing to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) study.

By Namhla Mbongendlu