BANTWINI HIGHLIGHTS PROGRESS AND VISION AT 2025 FACULTY OF EDUCATION SOFA

Executive Dean of the WSU Faculty of Education (FED), Professor Bongani Bantwini enthralled a sizeable audience of academia, staff, students, and external stakeholders as he delivered the FED’s State of the Faculty Address (SOFA) at the Komani Campus on 20 May 2025.

Delivered in the presence of stakeholders such as the EC Department of Education (ECDoE) and the South African Council for Educators (SACE), Bantwini’s SOFA highlighted a multitude of strides made in the past year and outlined the faculty’s plans for 2025 and beyond.

Among its notable successes, the faculty formalised a key partnership with SACE to ensure that future educators are professionally registered.

FED went on to grow its research output, with academics publishing in accredited journals and presenting in national and international conferences.  

Bantwini also lauded the faculty for successfully implementing initiatives which have seen growth in student retention, graduate throughput, and staff development.

“These transformations are more than cosmetic, they are philosophical and pedagogical shifts aimed at making our education more inclusive, relevant, and responsive to the context of our learners. We continue striving to produce quality educators who will not only well-versed in content knowledge but also culturally responsive, technologically literate, and ethically grounded,” said Bantwini.

The faculty is currently engaged in planning the upcoming Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA) Conference, which will be held in October 2025; a testament to its growth as a leader in the national education landscape.

Also in the cards for the faculty’s is the establishment of a centre for early childhood care, building microteaching labs, and the development of new programmes.

“The Faculty of Education at Walter Sisulu University stands at a pivotal point. We are proud of the progress we have made, but we are equally aware of the work that lies ahead,” remarked Bantwini.

Headquartered in Komani, the faculty has become a key role player in the development of its surrounding rural communities.

Through partnerships with NGOs, the public sector, local schools, and international institutions, the faculty boasts a multitude of initiatives which place it at the core of educational transformation within the regions.

“Our commitment to serving the surrounding communities remains strong. Through school-based support programmes, in-service teacher development workshops, and literacy initiatives, the Faculty of Education continues to be an anchor for educational upliftment in the region,” Bantwini stated.

Following Bantwini’s riveting address, Chief Director for ECDoE, Mzukisi Jack, took the stage to offer a message of support to the faculty, while emphasising the department’s keen interest in collaborating with WSU to further advance educational and economic growth for the province.

“As we redesign curriculum, we want 40% of our schools to take the academic route, then the rest to become technical, vocational, or occupational. Perhaps the university can engage itself in the recruitment of qualified tradesman or craftsman and see what the possibilities are, so that we may use those skills within the province to further educate our learners in relation to those areas," said Jack.

The Faculty of Education State of the Faculty Address is available for viewing on WSU’s YouTube Channel.