niversity of Cape Town (UCT)
The University of Cape Town recently announced a new degree that no other university on the African continent offers.
The new degree, a Master of Data Science with aspecialisation in Financial Technology, will be implemented in January next year. Dr. Co-Pierre Georg,senior lecturer at the African Institute of Financial Markets and Risk Management (AIFMRM) at UCT and course convener, said, “In the past, companies were mainly looking for advanced mathematical andmodelling skills. There still is demand for these skills, but by far the largest demand now is for students who have a thorough understanding of finance combined with a mastery of modern data analytics and software development skills.”
Francesca Little, associate professor and Head of the Department said, “We started the MSc in Data Science to give students a thorough understanding of the latest methods in statistical learning. This includes the extremely exciting field of machine learning and artificial intelligence.”
North-West University (NWU)
Another senior academic at NWU is being investigated for plagiarism. Eleven academics at the institution are already being investigated after a whistle-blower came forward with allegations of plagiarism.
The academic, who cannot be named until he has been formally charged, allegedly “plagiarised 15 articles”, according to a source close to the student body. The study, called “A Decade of Aflatoxin M1 Surveillance in Milk and Dairy Products in Developing Countries (2001-2011): A Review”, allegedly plagiarized a whole paragraph from Lon Whitlow’s study “Evaluation of Mycotoxin Binders”, published in 2006.
City Press reported that the academic was promoted last year to the position of associate professor. This was confirmed by NWU spokesperson Louis Jacobs. Jacobs said that none of the implicated academics have been suspended or placed on special leave.
The university is still busy with its forensic investigation into the allegations.
University of Johannesburg (UJ) and University of the Witswatersrand (Wits)
Sibanye Gold, an independent mining group, announced a R30-million sponsorship to UJ and Wits. Sibanye Gold invested R25-million in the same institutions in 2014.
According to a media release from Sibanye Gold, “The primary aim of the donations is to enable both universities to maintain the existing high quality teaching and learning standards, support increased intensity in research and innovation and provide essential capital for development and maintenance of world class facilities.”
Neal Froneman, Sibanye CEO, said, “The mining industry is a critical component of the South African economy and has a significant role to play in delivering future economic growth and employment. The provision of high quality education is a vital requirement if we are to grow the economy and as a company, we are aware that our core purpose – our mining improve [sic] lives – can only be realized, if we continue to build the pipeline of young talent needed to lead our industry into a bright future.”
Compiled by Henri Uys
