An international student, Dr Wafa Singh came all the way from India to be conferred with her PhD in Health Sciences at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) 2024 Spring Graduation ceremony, which was held at the Durban Exhibition Centre on Thursday, 19 September 2024.
She described her academic journey at DUT as an immensely enriching experience. She registered for her PhD during the very troubled times of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021. Being an international student residing in another country, she had her share of insecurities and fears on how she would manoeuvre her PhD journey.
“However, the DUT family, although virtual, was a pillar of huge strength and solidarity for me. My supervisor, Professor Raisuyah Bhagwan, was a guiding light at every point in my research journey and played a significant role in shaping my proposal and guiding me through the phases of data collection and write up. Also, the unconditional support and mentorship of my co-supervisor back in India, Prof Manju Singh, from the Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, was instrumental in the successful completion of my journey. I am so grateful to both for steering my journey in the direction of success and they are the reason why I stood proudly at the grad podium. Their support has continued as I have written up several journal articles related to my study and presented my research findings at conferences like the Living Knowledge Conference, in Spain and the EAIR Conference in Ireland,” shared Dr Singh.
She also applauded the incredible support system at DUT which included supportive peers who were also being supervised by Prof Bhagwan, dedicated librarians, whose virtual workshops and seminars on research management and thesis writing were instrumental in the completion of her study.
Her thesis was titled: ‘Towards the conceptualization and institutionalization of community engagement at Indian Higher Education Institutions’.
Giving insight on her research, she explained that it included a nationwide qualitative research study at eight best practice Indian universities. Through in-depth conversations with higher education executive administrators and faculty members, she was able to gather rich insights into the way community engagement is understood by academics.
“Being a young country experiencing demographic dividends, India also faces the brunt of multi-dimensional social challenges, similar to South Africa. In this scenario, if Indian universities (a massive number of 1100 and counting!), housing an enormous pool of students and enjoying other physical and financial resources, can redirect their academic functions towards social development ends, the outcomes can be transformational for the nation. This is what inspired me to pursue this work at a Doctoral level, so that I could study the potential and extant practices of community engagement in detail and develop a framework for strengthening and guiding its integration into higher education, due to its immense potential for nation-building,” reiterated Dr Singh.
Given, that obtaining her PhD was a long-standing dream, Dr Singh was devoted to accomplishing it through sacrifice, commitment and a determination to produce a study that was meaningful. For Dr Singh, the Doctorate was more than the acquisition of a degree, but it represented a cause that she was deeply passionate about, namely driving social responsibility and social transformation. Hence the balance between her personal and academic life was easily achievable.
“Armed with the findings of my Doctoral study I envisage steering Indian universities to become a vehicle of social change and to drive social transformation. I aspire for an India, which can return to its historical glory, in which its rich learning educational ecosystem has an important role to play. Therefore, I want to invest in policy advocacy and efforts to interweave community engagement as an integral function of Indian universities. Driven by these efforts, I hope that India can become a global stakeholder in strengthening community engagement in the Global South,” shared Dr Singh.
Her supervisor, Professor Raisuyah Bhagwan from the Department of Community Health Studies at DUT shared that she met with Dr Singh several years ago during a research visit to India.
“As the India Research Coordinator for the UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research & Social Responsibility in Higher Education, Dr Singh was instrumental in mapping out my research visits to several universities who were driving the advancement of social responsibility projects across India. Not only did this bring the opportunity to learn about how community engagement was being implemented to create social change in disadvantaged communities, but she introduced me to a network of researchers, with whom I collaborated and was able to create the opportunity for two South African students to do their research at two higher education institutions on community engagement and tribal communities. It was through my time spent with her, that the idea for this study was nurtured. Our mutual passion to integrate engagement into higher education created a relationship that saw the successful completion of her PhD across the miles,” stated Prof Bhagwan.
Sharing her congratulatory message to Dr Singh, Prof Bhagwan said: “My hugest congratulations to you on this incredible achievement across the globe and for so resolutely taking up a study, that will compel higher education to become more socially responsive. I am deeply proud of you, and your efforts to produce a study of international significance is inspiring. You having been an amazing student to mentor, always willing to push boundaries to learn more, respect alternative forms of knowledge and remain steadfast in your pursuit of social change through your research. As you stand at the threshold of a new chapter, I hope that this is the beginning of greater success for you.”
She wished Dr Singh all God’s blessings as she continues to be a voice of marginalised women, children and communities.
Pictured: Dr Wafa Singh after being conferred with her PhD in Health Sciences.
Photographer: Mnqobi Ngobese.
Simangele Zuma
