OVERVIEW Education
OVERVIEW Education Climate change is trending in academic circles. SECTOR INSIGHT UCT’s Neuroscience Institute has received a R200-million donation. A Cape Town mountain fire. A consortium has been launched to study urban health in African cities in the time of climate change. The Cascading Climate and Health Risks in African Cities (CASCADE) consortium was officially launched in November 2023 with a mission to advance the understanding of critical urban health challenges faced by African cities and to suggest effective interventions. CASCADE is led by two University of Cape Town (UCT) academics, Dr Chris Jack and Professor Bruce Hewitson of the Climate System and Analysis Group (CSAG). With nearly 60% of Africa’s population expected to be living in cities by 2050, the challenges brought by local and global climate change will make the delivery of clean water and services even tougher than at present. Cape Town has experienced the extremes of drought and regular fires in recent years, with the spectre of “Day Zero” in terms of water availability in 2017 proving a wakeup call that garnered international attention. Partners in the CASCADE project include the University of Ghana, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Makerere University, the Global Change Institute (University of Witwatersrand) and the Nairobi-based African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC). News from two of the Western Cape’s other tertiary institutions supports the idea that climate-related studies are gaining more attention. Additional funding for postgraduate students in the fields of energy and water-related studies has been made available by the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA). In terms of an agreement with the South African Institute for Advanced Materials Chemistry (SAIAMC) at the University of the Western Cape, EWSETA has extended bursary funding to eight students in exciting and diverse areas of study. These include a cellphone application that processes thermal energy storage data to a shearenhanced flotation technology, a primary wastewater treatment technology capable of removing 99.7% of suspended solids from winery wastewater in seconds. The Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) has collaborated with the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (CFERI) at False Bay TVET College to offer a six-month entrepreneurship programme with a focus on the opportunities on offer in the green economy. CFERI is based at the college’s Westlake Campus. Old-fashioned libraries continue to provide the public with access to the world of books. The Western Cape has the country’s biggest library network with 377 public libraries, all but seven of which have free Internet facilities. The province’s I-CAN centres allow for public access to digital skills programmes, WiFi and business services. The centres are divided into zones (including Create, Study and Learn) and printing, graphic design and laminating services are available. The Provincial Government of the Western Cape has invested WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2024 38 PHOTO: Sky Pixels/ Wikimedia Commons
