Unisa and the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) celebrated a major milestone in arts education on Saturday 18 April 2026, when 107 educators received certificates at a joint massive open online course (MOOC) Engaged Scholarship Certification Ceremony held in the Senate Hall at Unisa’s Muckleneuk Campus.

Hosted by the university’s Department of Art and Music, the afternoon event recognised in-service teachers who completed a MOOC in Visual Arts and Music, designed to strengthen professional practice and support curriculum delivery in schools.

Despite the rainy weather, the hall was filled with educators, academics, partners and friends of the arts for a programme that combined academic reflection, policy insight and certification. The proceedings were guided by programme director and project leader for Engaged Scholarship, Dr Phuti Sepuru, who framed the event as a celebration of a journey of a trillion miles in arts education.

Tracing the history of the MOOC

The ceremony turned to the history and evolution of the Unisa-GDE teacher training initiative. Ndabuzekwayo Zulu, lecturer in Music Theory and Composition Studies, presented a historical timeline of how engaged scholarship in the Department of Art and Music was instituted and how it ultimately evolved into the current MOOC model.

Zulu’s outline traced the project back to the early 2000s in the Eastern Cape, when Prof Nombeko Mpako, former School of Arts Director at Unisa, pioneered a community engagement project in response to pre-tertiary curriculum support and the historical lack of suitably qualified creative arts teachers to facilitate that curriculum. Using Mpako’s model, developed in her doctoral thesis titled "An emergent model of cultural intervention for professional development in South African visual arts education", the project was expanded with departmental colleagues and formalised through a memorandum of understanding with the GDE circa 2013.

Delegates from Unisa’s College of Human Sciences and the Gauteng Department of Education

This was initially explored through Saturday, school-based and campus workshops. Over time, the initiative shifted into a short learning programme and, from 2020 onwards, migrated online in response to Covid‑19, culminating in the development (from 2022 to 2024) of the current NQF level 6 MOOC to broaden access and allow teachers to study in their own time. Upon completion of each MOOC, teachers are awarded SACE (South African Council for Educators) points as recognition of their professional development.

Dean reaffirms Unisa’s commitment

Delivering the keynote message, Executive Dean of the College of Human Sciences, Prof Zerish Nkosi, outlined the college’s commitment to the ongoing development and refinement of the arts and music MOOC as a flagship form of engaged scholarship within the Department of Art and Music. She emphasised that the MOOC is a free, open-access short course that strengthens art and music education skills while functioning as structured in-service training for educators identified by the GDE, with a clear intention to expand similar opportunities to other South African provinces.

Nkosi positioned the programme as a living example of scholarship rooted in practice and practice informed by scholarship, noting that art and music remain vital in shaping education, culture, identity and community life. She paid tribute to the educators whose sustained engagement in pedagogy, andragogy, heutagogy and peer learning has sharpened their didactics and deepened their creative and academic capacities.

GDE outlines classroom impact

The GDE partners highlighted how the project’s benefits cascade from teachers to learners. Jonas Nkadimeng, GDE Creative Arts Co‑ordinator, reflected on the impact of the MOOC and related training on classroom practice, explaining how enhanced teacher competencies in art and music are translating into richer learning experiences for learners across the province.

Lauretta Mfetane, representing the GDE’s Life Skills stream, provided observational evidence of how participation in the project has boosted educators’ confidence in teaching life skills and creative components, aligning with the intended outcomes of the school curriculum. This sentiment was echoed by the GDE Subject Advisor for the Intermediate and Senior Phases, Tania Smit, who stressed the importance of learners gaining solid intermediate knowledge and skills in the arts, likening the training to a "resource pack" that learners carry forward in their educational journeys.

Certificates in Visual Arts and Music

The heart of the afternoon was the formal certification segment, co-led by Nkosi, Prof Siyasanga Tyali, Director of the School of Arts, alongside GDE representatives. In Visual Arts, 80 educators received programme completion certificates, recognising their successful engagement with the MOOC content and assessments. In Music, 27 educators were honoured for completing the programme, bringing the total number of certified participants at the event to 107.

From left: Prof Siyasanga Tyali, Prof Nombeko Mpako and Chepape Makgato

These awards build on a project that has reached close to 800 teachers since its formal inception in 2013, significantly increasing the number of Gauteng schools now able to offer art and music, and contributing to the development of subject advisors and school leaders in the creative arts.

Exhibition walkabout completes the arts experience

The certification ceremony ran concurrently with an exhibition walkabout facilitated by the Department of Art and Music. Delegates at the art walkabout were invited to experience the exhibition titled "For some the pathway to education lies between thorns", curated by doctoral candidate and curator Chepape Makgato, showcasing the work of renowned artist Peter E. Clarke.

This artistic component reinforced the day’s emphasis on the interconnectedness of theory, practice and community, situating the MOOC as a qualification pathway and as part of a broader ecosystem of arts education, research and public engagement at Unisa.

* By Dr Daniel Rankadi Mosako, Acting Chair, Department of Art and Music, and Dr Phuti Sepuru, Senior Lecturer, Department of Art and Music