UNIZULU hosts 2nd Postgraduate induction webinar in 2022

The research and innovation office hosted postgraduate inductions for Honours, Masters, and PhD students. Post graduate induction is aimed at assisting Postgraduates students in raising an awareness of the important tools needed as they have registered as UNIZULU Postgraduates students and expose them to all relevant internal and external stake holders where they present all the services they provide.

This first induction for 2022 took place on 16^th of March . The reason for hosting the second induction was to accommodate those who registered in April/May.

The representative from the library and community engagement gave presentations on their sections.

The keynote speaker for the day is Professor Kobus Marie, professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Pretoria (UP) for more than 20 years, he lectures counselling for career construction to educational and counselling master’s psychology students. Prof Marie spoke on Counselling for career construction to sustain the well-being of post graduate students.” The key dimension of wellbeing are career and community. More often than not there is a link between work and wellbeing. When work is going reasonably well, we have a sense of meaning in life. It makes one feel part of something bigger.” Explained Prof Marie.

Manqele, the Research and Innovation manager mentioned that by hosting this postgraduate induction their office is hoping to plant an awareness of all the stake holders that is meant to support students on their Postgraduate studies while they are at UNIZULU. “As research office we are looking at the wellbeing of our postgraduate students and establishing an awareness to our on-campus students and those far from the campus, we also have students from Limpopo and other provinces these inductions help us as Research office, we have realized that while we are training the students, we picked up that many students are depressed, they are working and they full time mothers and fathers, so we get to know how they are managing their relationships with their supervisors, they are struggling some want to drop out. We realized while we are training them, we should find the way to calm them down, so they overcome depression and finish their studies”.

According to Manqele, this induction was probed by the Doctorial orientation week discussion in May which reflected that many students are struggling with social wellbeing. This induction was vital to assist Postgraduates students throughout their journey at UNIZULU. The attendance was good, and the research office was please by the turnout of the students who attended.

• Wandile Mathonsi & Mbuyiselo Mlaba