The impact of the newly-launched Centre for the Advancement of Rural and Inclusive Education and Research (Carier) at the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley signals the university’s determination to shape the future of learning in the Northern Cape and surrounding regions, with an impact that will resonate nationally and globally.
This first research centre in the SPU’s Faculty of Education was launched on 17 September.
In her address, Prof. Boitumelo Diale, dean of the Faculty of Education, rejected the notion that rural means inferior; celebrating it as unique, valuable, and deserving of excellence.
Prof. Anthony Brown reminded guests that the Northern Cape presents a unique laboratory for inclusive education and called for a radical rethinking of urban-centric models. Brown is of the University of South Africa’s (Unisa) School of Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Studies. He urged that the new centre be a site of “pedagogical rebellion” that dismantles hierarchies, roots curricula in local realities, and proves that diversity is a source of strength.
Dr Kevin Teise, Carier’s acting director, gave an overview of its mission which is to redefine rural and inclusive education research by placing lived experiences at the centre of impactful scholarship.
Sandile Beuzana stressed that inclusive classrooms enrich entire school environments and called for research outputs to move into communities. Beuzana is chief director of School Management, Administration and Support for the Northern Cape Department of Education,
Prof. Debra Meyer, the SPU’s acting vice-chancellor and principal, acknowledged the launch of Carier as a pioneering research centre at the university. The centre joins the ranks of others such as the Arid Region Water Research Centre and the Centre for Creative Writing and African Languages. Meyer outlined clear criteria for its success. These include quality publications, postgraduate achievements, external fundraising, and positioning the SPU as a hub of excellence in rural and inclusive education.
Prof. Jesmael Mataga, acting director for Research, quoted Epictetus, reminding the audience that “only the educated are free,” underscoring that education is the path to freedom and transformation.
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