Three female doctoral students in Public Administration graduated from UKZN under the supervision of Professor Mogie Subban, Academic Programme Co-ordinator in the Discipline of Public Governance in the College of Law and Management Studies.
They were Dr Nomachule Lombo, Dr Haseena Majid and Dr Ayanda Makhaye.
Majid’s thesis, titled: Monitoring and Evaluation of Eye Health Service Delivery: A Public-Private Case Study in the uMgungundlovu District of KwaZulu-Natal, aimed to provide solutions to the inequitable distribution of eye health services using a structured forum as a way to bridge gaps.
Majid’s research proposes solutions to meet goals of universal eye health coverage in the light of the passing of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill.
While there are numerous hurdles faced in public service delivery, Majid says her findings carve a pathway for the inclusion of eye health in all policies and could foster a connection between the currently disjointed eye health and general health policies in the country.
Majid further thanks her family ‘My family is the centre of my world, they are my biggest fans and gave me the greatest support on this journey.’
Lombo, who was born into a family of academics dedicated to contributing to the education of the youth, retired as Deputy Chief Education Specialist in the Eastern Cape.
Her thesis was titled: The Impact of the Provision of Rural Schools’ Physical Infrastructure on Learners’ Rights and Performance: A Perspective of the Eastern Cape Department of Education, South Africa.
The study emphasises the need to focus on infrastructure development to attain quality education with Lombo raising concerns about socioeconomic developments in rural areas.
‘It’s troubling that learners from disadvantaged circumstances, often with minimal or no infrastructure, are expected to sit for the same National Senior Certificate examinations as students from well-equipped city schools,’ she said.
Makhaye’s thesis was titled: Examining Stakeholder Perception on Local Economic Development and Implementation: A Case Study of the uMgungundlovu District Municipality.
Subban congratulated her “three doctoral triplets” on their excellent achievement, as she takes all three of them to an international conference soon to present their research. ‘These three doctoral students of mine have been through an incredible journey with me experiencing lots of challenges on the personal front as well amidst COVID and beyond. Some wanted to give up, but I persevered with them and worked flat out sacrificially on weekends and throughout nights so that they finish off on time, and very smartly too,’ she said.
Words: Ayanda Radebe
Photograph: Supplied
