Rian Nell • November 26, 2024

Celebrating Excellence: SAPHE Awards 2024

The inaugural SAPHE Excellence Awards 2024 celebrated a significant milestone in recognising academic excellence within the private higher education sector. As an exciting new initiative by SAPHE, these awards recognise excellence across the three core business areas: Teaching and Learning, Research and Innovation, and Community Engagement. Each category honours impactful contributions that advance education, foster collaboration, and benefit society.


Dr Celia Booyse, one of the judges, noted that a rigorous evaluation process was followed. The panel developed criteria as bases for the deliberations on each submission, the reasoning for evaluation and as qualitative and quantitative evidence.


Key questions guiding the evaluation included assessing whether contributions represented new developments, their relevance to education and/or society at large,  the level of collaboration and cooperation involved, and the rigour of research practices.


The criteria helped assess whether a contribution was outstanding, remarkable, or average. An outstanding contribution was characterised as significant, noteworthy, and impactful within its domain, representing an excellent achievement for the broader educational sector. A remarkable contribution was recognised for its originality and innovative practices that exceeded conventional norms, standing out as well above average and surpassing minimum standards


Entries from Boston City Campus, The Da Vinci Institute and Tsiba secured the winning trophies in the categories of Teaching and Learning, Research and Innovation, and Community Engagement respectively.



The SAPHE Excellence Awards 2024 underscored the invaluable contributions of private higher education institutions in advancing innovation, education, and societal impact. These remarkable achievements provide inspiration and a benchmark for future endeavours.

 

SAPHE Award winners:

  • Teaching and Learning: Boston City Campus, with academics Dr Rob Stegmann, Ms Colette Heunes, Prof. Cobus Oosthuizen, and Dr Janet Viljoen taking the trophy for their multi-faceted entry.
  • Research: Dr Tadi Rampai (Posthumous) from The Da Vinci Institute.
  • Community Engagement: Mr John Durr and Mr Earl-Djehuti Erasmus from Tsiba.


Runners-up:

  • Teaching and Learning: 1st runner-up, Ms Annetjie Pretorius (The Independent Institute of Education); 2nd runner-up, Ms Riana Prins and Dr Cecelia Rosa (IMM Graduate School).
  • Research: 1st runner-up, Ms Jaclyn van Rensburg (Red & Yellow Creative School of Business); 2nd runner-up, Dr Rob Stegmann (Boston City Campus).
  • Community Engagement: 1st Runner-Up, Ms. Sarina Till (The Independent Institute of Education); 2nd runner-up, Dr Daud Taranikhe (The Da Vinci Institute).

Trophy winners in the respective categories:

Teaching and Learning – Boston City Campus:
From left: Dr Celia Booyse (judge), Dr Makhapa Makhafola (SAQA COO, keynote speaker), Dr Janet Viljoen (Boston City Campus), and Mr Rinus de Jager (Cengage, gold sponsor)

Research – The Da Vinci Institute (Posthumous Award to Dr Tadi Rampai):
Posthumous Award to Dr Tadi Rampai. From left: Dr Celia Booyse, Dr Makhapa Makhafola, Mr Mapula Rampai, Mrs Keamogetane Rampai, Mr Rinus de Jager, and Mr Tumelo Rampai. The award was received by Dr Rampai’s family.

Community Engagement – Tsiba:
From left: Dr Celia Booyse, Dr Makhapa Makhafola, and Mr Earl-Djehuti Erasmus.

Community engagement in higher education: From conversation to action

April 15, 2025
Often seen as the “stepchild” of higher education, community engagement (CE) took centre stage during SAPHE’s Faranani session held on 10 April.

Excellence in action: SAPHE Faranani session inspires!

March 25, 2025
Faranani means "working together," and that’s exactly what SAPHE’s Faranani session on 20 March was all about! The session started with a brief discussion on the 2025 SAPHE Excellence Awards categories and evaluation criteria. This was followed by an inspiring presentation from TSIBA, the 2024 winner of the Excellence Award for Community Engagement. TSIBA didn’t just showcase what a winning entry looks like—they demonstrated what education with real social impact truly means.  TSIBA’s John Durr and Earl-Djehuti Erasmus took attendees through their Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development experiential learning programmes. Designed to drive social, economic, and educational impact, these programmes highlight the transformative power of education. By providing meaningful, applied learning experiences, these programmes empower students while making a tangible difference in the communities they come from or will serve in the future. The results? Well-rounded graduates, thriving start-ups, and a ripple effect of positive change. Kudos to TSIBA! The Faranani session illustrated the power of collaboration, offering SAPHE members valuable insights from TSIBA’s award-winning approach. Together, we continue to shape a sector that makes a real difference through education!

First SAPHE Community of Practice Launched!

February 21, 2025
“Let’s work together, share, and learn from one another!”—This spirit of collaboration set the tone for the launch of SAPHE’s first Community of Practice (CoP) on 12 February. Dedicated to professionals in Library and Information Services (LIS) at SAPHE member institutions, the CoP kicked off with an engaging event attended by around 60 participants. When the idea of establishing CoPs was discussed at the SAPHE member meeting, it was no surprise that LIS staff led the way. Their dynamic and interactive workshop in 2024 laid the groundwork for what is now a formal platform for discussions, knowledge-sharing, workshops, and collective problem-solving. The LIS CoP will be led by Lianda Coetzer (Akademia), supported by team members Irvine Kadzenga (The IIE), Michelle Coates (IMM Graduate School), Unathi Solora (The IIE), and Nqobile Ndlovu (Cornerstone).  We look forward to the impact this CoP will have in fostering collaboration and innovation in LIS!
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