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.

New SAPHE CoP Focuses on Quality Assurance

April 25, 2025
The launch meeting of SAPHE’s Community of Practice (CoP) for Quality Assurance on 15 April was an explosion of ideas and energy. The value of a dedicated platform for members to engage on quality assurance (QA) matters was immediately evident, as participants enthusiastically identified key topics for discussion, knowledge sharing, and the exchange of best practices. The vital thread of QA Quality Assurance is a cornerstone of higher education, underpinning the integrity and effectiveness of academic offerings and institutional operations. From marketing and student recruitment to graduation, the QA thread is tightly woven through every stage of the student journey. Engaging questions, meaningful conversations “How do we measure quality, and how do we evidence quality?” These thought-provoking questions, posed by the session facilitator Dr Franzel du Plooy-Cilliers—SAPHE Vice-Chair and responsible for liaison with regulatory bodies—sparked dynamic and insightful discussions. Attendees shared their experiences and explored ways to support one another in preparing for institutional audits, benchmarking across institutions, and embedding quality throughout institutional processes. Looking ahead  The conversation has laid the foundation for what promises to be a series of meaningful engagements as the CoP continues to grow and evolve.

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!
More Posts