A Journey of Growth, Resilience, and Purpose
At the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Dr Ntombifuthi Nzimande’s academic journey reflects a powerful blend of professional commitment, personal growth, and resilience.
Having recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education (PgDip HE), Nzimande shares how the experience reshaped her approach to teaching and learning.
“Though I was familiar with student diversity and challenges as a demonstrator, mentor, and Supplemental Instruction leader, when I joined UKZN in October 2022 and started teaching, it felt like coming home but also like I had just landed on a green alien planet,” she said. “After completing my PhD in Hungary, I felt out of touch with teaching and learning policies and wanted to become the best supervisor and lecturer my students could experience.”
Driven by this goal, she enrolled in the PgDip HE. After searching for Higher Education courses beyond the University Education Induction Programme, she decided to apply for this diploma simply to become a better academic.
One of the most significant challenges she faced was balancing her roles as both lecturer and student.
“Even though provisions were made to support academic staff attending classes, it was no easy feat,” she said. “In a single day, you switch from being a student to a lecturer or supervisor and back again. The whiplash was unforgiving.”
At the same time, she was navigating a major life transition of managing studies while expecting and then becoming a new mother. Despite these challenges, the experience proved transformative. “This diploma taught me the importance of establishing and reinforcing boundaries, as well as managing my time more effectively,” she said.
She credits the programme’s facilitators for shaping her academic development. She said: “The facilitators were absolutely fantastic, and the class debates were engaging and pushed me out of my comfort zone. They encouraged me to explore aspects of Higher Education I had never considered before.”
This shift inspired her research focus. “I was encouraged to research Geography students’ perceptions of plagiarism within our Institution,” she explained. “The discussions, assignments, and informal conversations helped shape my scholarship of teaching and learning. I currently have four articles in various stages of peer review directly related to this work.”
Reflecting on the broader academic environment, she highlighted a gap in Higher Education training, saying, “unlike basic education teachers, academics are not always required to have formal teaching qualifications,” and this means many of us enter academia unprepared for the realities of the profession.”
She added: “From my very first module, I realised how much I could have missed out on, and how that could have affected my students. This programme has already changed how I teach – from setting lesson plans to understanding plagiarism and artificial intelligence (AI) policies, and establishing healthier boundaries at work.”
Balancing multiple responsibilities required strong mental discipline. “Juggling teaching, administration, supervision, family, and studying is doable, but mentally exhausting if you’re not prepared,” she said.
“My support system showed up by giving me space to vent, and by taking me out for massages and lunches when things became overwhelming, even my graduate students motivated me in their own way, sometimes slipping encouraging lines into emails with their draft submissions,” added Nzimande.
Looking ahead, Nzimande remains committed to academia. “After completing this Postgraduate Diploma, I plan to continue working in academia for the foreseeable future,” she said.
“I am currently a Geography lecturer at UKZN’s Howard College campus and a recipient of the 2025/2026 African Research Universities Alliance/Carnegie-Mastercard Early Career Research Fellowship at the University of Nairobi Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation.”
She concluded with a message of encouragement: “You can be your own worst enemy or your biggest cheerleader – choose wisely. It will never be the perfect time to start, so just commit and do it.”
Words: Sinoyolo Mahlasela
Photograph: Sethu Dlamini
