When conflicting interests challenge relevance: History of the development of Public Health at Walter Sisulu University

This study investigated the implications of merger on the morale of staff at Walter Sisulu University (WSU), which is a new comprehensive university established in terms of the HigherEducation Act (101 of 1997), as amended. This study is undertaken because from the literature survey, scholars have not interrogated the implications of merger on the morale of those affected in those established comprehensive universities post amalgamation. This study employed a quantitative descriptive research approach, using statistical procedures. The target population was ninety academic and ninety non-academic staff members from the three sites of Walter Sisulu University, namely East London, Ibika and Umtata. Participants were purposefully selected from the four campuses. Questionnaires were administered to ninety academics and ninety non-academic staff personnel. The study established that indeed the merger had negative implications on WSU employees, even though these implications varied from category to category. The merger of historically disadvantaged two technikons and a university within the rural South African setting presents a complex historical heritage.The three institutions that merged to form WSU are not only historically disadvantaged, but also have vast distances among them. While the amalgamation of the three historically disadvantaged institutions remains a noble initiative, on the other hand, it has brought about inequalities, such as disproportionate salaries among employees of the three campuses, poor work performance, which can only be attributed to lack of motivation and reluctance amongst the staff members to accept new conditions of service under WSU. A substantial number of those employees, some of whom were employed before the amalgamation, terminated their service long before the merger even took place. Conclusions could be drawn that the merger brought about many challenges on WSU employees, namely staff development, human resource and management issues, job security and work environment. The study advances suggestions and recommendations to alleviate the situation.

INTRODUCTION Problem-based learning harmonized with education in and for the community is the cornerstone of the curriculum for the undergraduate medical degree at Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa. In tutorials, students construct knowledge and learn to work collaboratively while interacting with one another in their search for solutions to a pedagogically modeled health issue based on a patient. Problems cover students' needs defined by the learning cycle of the second year medical curriculum, organized into four learning blocks. OBJECTIVES Determine student perspectives on which factors affect tutorial group functioning and detect the reported presence of these factors in the four learning blocks comprising the second year of medical studies at Walter Sisulu University. METHODS Twenty second-year medical students were chosen by stratified random sampling and assigned to two focus groups. One group discussed factors that foster smooth functioning of the tutorial group; the other focused on factors hindering effective group work. Later, in a joint session, 17 items previously identified by both groups were selected and included in a survey given to all 97 students at the end of second year. The survey assessed presence of each item in 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 of the learning blocks. RESULTS Survey response was 93.8%. Mean reported presence of factors that influenced tutorials in the four learning blocks was 2.71 (SD 0.31) for the social dimension, 3.02 for motivational (SD 0.02), 3.00 for cognitive (SD 0.42), and 2.22 for self-directed learning (SD 0.79). CONCLUSIONS Tutorial group performance at Walter Sisulu University is positively influenced more by motivational and cognitive factors than by social and self-directed learning factors. Social dimensions should be prioritized when training tutors and self-directed learning stressed for students. The poor productivity of extra-tutorial group discussions suggests the need for a critical evaluation of this activity. KEYWORDS Problem-based learning, problem-based curriculum, active learning, medical education, tutorial groups, South Africa.

Background. An important strategy in the transformation and scaling up of medical education is the inclusion and utilisation of decentralised training platforms (DTPs). Objective. In light of the dearth of research on the activities of medical students at DTPs, the purpose of this study was to determine how final-year medical students spent their time during the integrated primary care (IPC) rotation at a DTP. Methods. The study was conducted at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and Walter Sisulu University (WSU). At each of the participating universities, a voluntary group of final-year medical students completed a log diary by entering all activities for a period of 1 week during the IPC rotation. The log diary contained five activity codes: clinical time teaching time, skill time, community time and free time, with each subdivided into additional categories. The data were analysed for students at each university separately, using frequencies and proportions. Results. A total of 60 students volunteered to complete the diaries: at WSU n=21; UKZN n=11; Wits n=18; and SMU n=10. At each university, students reported that they spent large amounts of time on clinical activities: WSU=46.0%; UKZN=33.8%; Wits=29.6%; and SMU=44.1%. They reported low amounts of time spent on community-based activities: WSU 0.8%; UKZN 7.6%; Wits 6.8%; and SMU 0.0%. Conclusion. Students reported that they spent a sizeable proportion of their time on clinical activities, while reported time spent on community-based activities was negligible. The transformation potential of DTPs will only be realised when students spend more time on community-based activities.

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED WITH THE INFORMING SCIENCE INSTITUTE. Aim/Purpose....................................................................................................................................................................................................... The main aim of this study was to investigate the status of records management program at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) using the Nelson Mandela Drive Site of Mthatha Campus as a case study. Background......................................................................................................................................................................................................... For an organization to function effectively, records (both in electronic and paper format) need to be captured, recorded and secured in order to ensure their authenticity, integrity, reliability and accessibility. The core functions of a university are learning, teaching, research and community engagement, and in order to carry out these functions records are created and received. Records therefore, constitute an essential instrument of administration of any institutions without which operational processes and functions cannot be executed (Kendall and Mizra, 2006). Thus, a proper and efficient managing of records is critical to functioning and administration of institutions. Council of Higher Education (2000) pointed out that record-keeping in the higher education institutions in South Africa was inadequate. Effective records management in universities in the Eastern Cape has not been adequately documented. Hence, this study investigates the records management program that exist in WSU. Although legislation regulating the management of records in South Africa exist, they might be ignorance on the part of certain officials entrusted with managing WSU records and that could have adverse effect on the performance of WSU and ultimately on service delivery. Methodology....................................................................................................................................................................................................... This study may have influence in policy formulation and compliance with the judicial directives on records management program of universities. It may also help improve service delivery, by enabling orderly, accountable and efficient management of universities records. Contribution........................................................................................................................................................................................................ This study may have influence in policy formulation and compliance with the judicial directives on records management program of universities. It may also help improve service delivery, by enabling orderly, accountable and efficient management of universities records. Findings .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. The major findings of the study revealed WSU fell below the requirements in terms of records management program on maintaining records that document its business activities. Inadequate infrastructure, inadequacy regarding the desirable control of WSU records at each stage as required by the records life cycle framework was also found to be inadequate and limited knowledge of legal requirements regarding records management. Recommendations for Practitioners................................................................................................................................................................. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made. Effort should be made to implement a Centralized control of Decentralized Registry System (Integrated Registry System), provision of training of staff, as well as proper infrastructural facilities to manage WSU records that document its business activities. Recommendation for Researchers................................................................................................................................................................... There is a need for further studies of this kind in other Universities, Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) Colleges in the Eastern Cape Province in order to establish their practices in managing records that document their business activities. Impact on Society.............................................................................................................................................................................................. The research will assist to highlight to administrators, policy makers of universities that proper records management could help universities to manage their information efficiently, fulfill their mandate, protect them from litigation, preserve their corporate memory, and foster accountability and good governance. Future Research.................................................................................................................................................................................................. A study to check the readiness of institution of higher learning to manage electronic records that documents their business activities in the 21st Century digital era will be vital in this context.

The purpose of this paper aims to present the practical experience on the usage pattern of electronic resources as information without boundaries by students (undergraduate & post graduate) in academic library, in the case of at Walter Sisulu University library, Nelson Mandela Drive (NMD) site campus. As South Africa celebrates the twenty years of democracy, library users are able to access information electronically without coming to the library building. This shift from traditional print to electronic resources provides users with information without boundaries. WSU had made some good initiatives to improve ICT through installation of Wi-Fi connection inside and outside the library. This paper will also look at the effects of Wi-Fi on usage of electronic resources at WSU. It will also show statistics on e-books and online databases usage across WSU. Methodology- A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate usage patterns of e-resources by students at WSU NMD campus, Mthatha. A random sampling method used to distribute questionnaires. SPSS is used for data analysis. Findings- The study finds that majority of students with (40%) at NMD campus are able to access e-resources that the library subscribes to. It reflects that 39% students have attended Information Literacy programme but not access e-resources. It also indicates that 25% of students have their own personal computer and they have access to internet. Most popular e-resources are EBSCO and Science Direct.

Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa, like other universities worldwide, is faced with the challenges associated with the outbreak of the Covid‑19 pandemic. The challenge has changed our day-to-day lives, including the way we interact and conduct business. In the midst of this, WSU has had to change the way learning and teaching occurs. Traditional face-to-face tuition had to be adapted by moving to the online mode of teaching and learning to both minimise the time lost in the academic project and protect staff and students from the devastating effects of the virus. This article reflects the actions taken by the University and describes its pilot-project approach to online learning and those processes it has put in place to ensure its effective implementation. While it is accepted that switching to an online mode of teaching and learning can facilitate flexibility in space and time, the reality is that the majority of students at WSU – mainly due to their geographical and socio-economic environments – experience daily challenges ranging from poor network coverage, lack of internet connectivity, lack of electricity and other socio-economic impediments that make online learning stressful or beyond their reach. In this article, we present a model that could be used by higher education institutions (HEIs) to respond to Covid‑19 in the short term. The proposed model is underpinned by a framework that caters for students who are readily able to access online learning, students with intermittent access to online facilities and finally, students who cannot access online education. First, we provide a brief description of online learning, highlighting the challenges presented to teaching and learning by this approach. We argue that our context and education policies present additional problems that militate against the adoption of online strategies by most HEIs. In the final instance, we present a framework that is better suited to our context and can be used during and after the lockdown. Data were collected using online questionnaires with both structured and openended questions from both lecturers and students to determine their experiences with the testing project. Lastly, we draw conclusions based on the findings of the study.

Obesity is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) including hypertension (HT) which is itself a risk factor for CVDs. Recent studies suggest that waist circumference (WC) may be more sensitive than Body Mass Index (BMI) in determining individual risk scores for CVDs. The current study aimed at investigating the influence of various anthropometric variables on blood pressure status in a group of students from Walter Sisulu University. Informed consent was obtained from 216 male and female students from Walter Sisulu University with a mean age of 22.1±0.2 years. Anthropometric measurements were performed for each participant. Blood pressure was measured in triplicates after 10 minutes of rest and the average computed. Just over 46% of the subjects were diagnosed with hypertension (HT) and pre-HT. The gender specific prevalence of HT/pre-HT was higher in the male (76.7%) compared to the female (30.5%) group. Waist circumference (WC) and total body fat (TBF) correlated significantly with blood pressure and HT/pre-HT in females but not males. ROC analysis showed that with the exception of waist-to-hip (WHR), all other anthropometric measurements and ratios studied can be used to discriminate blood pressure in young adult females not males. Increased WC and HC were associated with HT and pre-HT in young adult females in the Walter Sisulu University.

Today, research capacity development is one of the most critical challenges confronting Walter Sisulu University. Conditions for research have been severely compromised as manifested by a general complaint over heavy teaching loads, inadequate infrastructure, etc. These are unique challenges hence improving the number and quality of researchers is an issue at Walter Sisulu University. We are not only seeking to increase the number of researchers, we are simultaneously trying to transform our educational practice. My focus is on a recent quantitative research study that I conducted at Walter Sisulu University to examine the factors that demonstrate the need for the improvement in knowledge, skills and research capacity development.

This paper aims to present the effective role that is played by the Health Sciences Library towards realizing teaching, learning and research priorities of the Problem- Based Learning (PBL and Community-Based Education (CBE) at Walter Sisulu University (WSU), Nelson Mandela drive, Mthatha campus.This paper will outline how medical library operates in supporting this PBL/CBE curriculum, align its services to be relevant to the needs of the faculty, and how the librarians ensure that students and academic staff are empowered in information seeking skills for lifelong learning. The paper will also highlight the way information user education and information literacy programme are provide to the faculty of health sciences. How the library supports undergraduate and postgraduate students learning that spreads across the whole Eastern Cape Province will be illustrated in the paper. WSU Health Sciences library, includes all the Health Resource Centres situated in hospitals make sure that library support PBL/CBE approach successfully.

The main aim of this study is to investigate the determinant factors of employee turnover intentions at Walter Sisulu University (WSU), by focusing on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, career growth opportunities, and pay satisfaction. The study used a quantitative cross-sectional approach to collect data from WSU staff members through a Likert-style survey. In total, 123 employee responses were analysed from the 350 possible using statistical methods including descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The findings showed no relationship between employee turnover intentions and the independent variables, implying that other variables not considered in this study might play a more critical role in reducing turnover intentions at WSU. These findings underscore the intricate nature of employee turnover and show that standard retention methods may not work in educational settings. Practical recommendations for WSU include enhancing job satisfaction and strengthening organizational commitment through better career planning and compensations strategies that align with their expectations. The study contributes to the broader literature by providing insights specific to the South African higher education context and underscores the need for a multi-faceted approach to retention. Further research should consider other factors that needs to identify more factors that impact employee retention while tracking employee behavior changes over time across different higher education institutions and include comparative studies across institutions to generalize findings and refine retention strategies.

The majority of the students who enroll at the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa are not equipped with the necessary academic/learning skills to cope with the university environment, especially in Mechanical Engineering. The Department of Higher Education and Training (2013, p. 17), further states that “students’ support is crucial to ensure that students adapt to the demands of college life and that they can meet the demands of college programmes”. Particularly in South Africa, the school environment might also contribute to poor student performance as a result of insufficient student support, and a lack of facilities and resources. In order to address this gap, a Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) programme was implemented to provide support targeting high-risk subjects for at-risk students in Mechanical Engineering at WSU. The programme therefore is pro-active and student-driven in that senior students assist junior students with their academic work and learning processes. The programme is designed to encourage collaborative and cooperative learning approaches during group sessions and active student engagement to support student learning (Laal & Laal, 2012). The programme requires substantial resources and time commitments. It is important from an operational, learning, and student perspective to understand in what ways the PAL programme assists students (if at all). Eliciting the experiences of students also helps the department to design interventions from a student-centred perspective using the lens of learning theories. This qualitative case study explores the student experience of the Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) programme. Open-ended questionnaires/survey from 20 first-year students elicited their perceptions and experiences of the PAL programme. Responses were analysed thematically. Findings indicated that the students had useful insights that may contribute to revising the programme. Aspects mentioned were improved study skills, improved time management, and improved communication, problem-solving and presentation skills. The study suggests that the PAL programme also creates a safe (where students of the same age come together to discuss concepts of the subject under the guidance of the senior student as an experienced student), comfortable and conducive environment for first-year students’ learning. However, the gender dynamics within the programme point to revisions needed in the programme to address the gap on the gender balance as only six out of the twenty participants in this study were female. The study contributes to our understanding of aspects of PAL for first-year Mechanical Engineering students at WSU, as it affords students the opportunity to interpret, integrate and apply information/knowledge acquired during lectures and to interact effectively in small-group sessions.

The Council for Higher Educations' (CHE) Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) requires internal quality evaluations to be performed on the various programmes offered by the Faculty before visitation by the HEQC. This article examines some of the challenges and processes followed by six of the departments of Walter Sisulu University's Faculty of Business, Management Sciences and Law utilising a case study approach. Challenges are identified and highlighted across the Faculty. Furthermore, examination of the processes followed and challenges encountered by the Department of Public Relations Management and Communication is utilised, whilst conducting an internal quality evaluation on the National Diploma: Public Relations Management. The article recommends a number of strategies that may be followed to smooth the process. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 22 (4) 2008: pp. 827-842

This study investigated the effectiveness of communication strategies within higher education institutions, focusing on Walter Sisulu University (WSU). The purpose was to assess how institutional communication practices influence student engagement, information access, and satisfaction. Grounded in systems theory, which emphasises interdependence and open communication within organisational structures, the research highlights the need for responsive and multidirectional communication channels in academic settings. A quantitative methodology was employed, utilising a structured questionnaire distributed to 156 registered students across various academic levels and faculties. Data was analysed using SPSS Version 28, and reliability was confirmed with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.82. Findings reveal that while students are moderately satisfied with current communication tools—particularly Facebook, email, and noticeboards—there is significant underutilisation of platforms like newsletters and the university website. A major concern is the lack of communication about strategic direction, institutional policies, and general information, with 91% of students indicating inadequate access to such content. The study recommends adopting a modern, multi-channel communication approach that integrates traditional tools with social media and digital platforms to ensure inclusivity, consistency, and effectiveness. This research contributes to academic scholarship by offering empirical evidence on the role of communication systems in student engagement and institutional performance for higher education institutions. The study outcomes, furthermore, provide a foundation for future studies exploring the intersection of communication technology and organisational behaviour in higher education contexts.

Introduction The South African health system has disturbing inequalities, namely few black doctors, a wide divide between urban and rural sectors, and also between private and public services. Most medical training programs in the country consider only applicants with higher-grade preparation in mathematics and physical science, while most secondary schools in black communities have limited capacity to teach these subjects and offer them at standard grade level. The Faculty of Health Sciences at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) was established in 1985 to help address these inequities and to produce physicians capable of providing quality health care in rural South African communities. Intervention Access to the physician training program was broadened by admitting students who obtained at least Grade C (60%) in mathematics and physical science at standard grade, and who demonstrated appropriate personal attributes. An innovative curriculum, combining problem-based learning with community-based education (PBL/CBE) in small tutorial group settings, was also adopted. This approach was aimed at educating and graduating a broader cohort of students, while training future doctors to identify, analyze, and treat health problems in the rural South African context. Outcomes To date, 745 doctors (72% black Africans) have graduated from the program, and 511 students (83% black Africans) are currently enrolled. After the PBL/CBE curriculum was adopted, the attrition rate for black students dropped from 23% to <10%. The progression rate rose from 67% to >80%, and the proportion of students graduating within the minimum period rose from 55% to >70%. Many graduates are still completing internships or post-graduate training, but preliminary research shows that 36% percent of graduates practice in small towns and rural settings. Further research is underway to evaluate the impact of their training on health services in rural Eastern Cape Province and elsewhere in South Africa. Conclusions The WSU program increased access to medical education for black students who lacked opportunities to take advanced math and science courses prior to enrolling in medical school. Innovative admission requirements and adoption of a PBL/CBE curriculum have made the WSU program one of the top training programs for black African doctors in South Africa.

This research set out to evaluate whether the periodic review, adaptations and implementation strategies in the B Sc access programs with foundation provision in the Faculty of Science Engineering and Technology at Walter Sisulu University from 1998 to 2007 have had any impact on the number of B Sc graduates produced. The study also evaluated whether the programs addressed issues such as redress, access and success for which they were initiated in conjunction with government policies and available resources. A longitudinal action research that involved review of program models, selection criteria, curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, monitoring and impact was carried out. Data was collected annually from 1998 to 2011 and a three phase analysis was made. The overall analysis indicated that the programs afford an alternate entry point to higher education and training (HET) to aspiring science matriculates in a semi urban/rural catchment area providing redress and access. The students from the programs from 1998 to 2007 (without considering the effects of attrition and migration) have made a commendable 14% contribution to the annual FSET number of B Sc graduates where the annual allowed intake of access students is about 15%. Key words: Access, foundation provision, extended programs, academic development, success, graduation