Stellenbosch University (SU) welcomed its placement on a MyBroadband ranking where the university was placed in the top position for “tertiary institutions in South Africa to study computer science, engineering, and technology”.
This is according to SU spokesperson, Martin Viljoen, who, in written correspondence with MatieMedia, described the ranking as “well-deserved recognition of SU’s quest to become Africa’s leading research-intensive university, globally recognised as excellent, inclusive and innovative, where we advance knowledge in service of society”.
The faculty of engineering is one of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) “flagship faculties” and “one of South Africa’s major producers of top quality engineers”, according to SU’s website. PHOTO: Bianke Neethling
This comes after a recent announcement made by MyBroadband in an article published on their site on 18 February, wherein they “aggregated six different university ranking systems” to perform an analysis of South African universities. This is according to MyBroadband editor, Jan Vermeulen, in written correspondence with MatieMedia.
MyBroadband conducted the analysis “to see if it were possible to show the results of several university ranking systems in one place and in a meaningful way”, explained Vermeulen.
MyBroadband, who, according to their website, is “the largest ICT news website in South Africa”, ranked the University of Pretoria second, with the North-West University in third place.
“Broadly, depending on the measure, [the ranking systems] look at everything from teaching environment to research output,” said Vermeulen.
Stellenbosch University’s (SU) computer science division can be found on the university’s engineering campus. Professor Brink van der Merwe, head of computer science at SU, confirmed in written correspondence with MatieMedia that the discipline “has seen more than a doubling in numbers [of students] over the last 5 years”. PHOTO: Bianke Neethling
Head of computer science at SU, professor Brink van der Merwe, ascribed the computer science division’s top position on the ranking to the university’s “good researchers [who provide] quality education to students”. He added, in written correspondence with MatieMedia, that these researchers also “publish and present their research at good venues”.
The vice-dean of SU’s engineering faculty, professor Petrie Meyer, attributed SU’s high ranking to their “close interaction with local and international industry, a very strong student-focused approach […] and world-class laboratories”.
“Increasingly, the world is looking at the field of technology as the way to tackle our biggest challenges, such as clean energy, climate change, poverty reduction, and food-and-water security [and] at SU, these challenges have been placed at the heart of our research programmes,” explained Meyer.
“It is particularly encouraging that the MyBroadBand article recognises the importance of engineering and computer science programmes co-existing at the same institution,” stated Professor Petrie Meyer, vice-dean at SU’s faculty of engineering, in written correspondence with MatieMedia. “At Stellenbosch [University], these two disciplines overlap strongly.” PHOTO: Bianke Neethling
A fourth year electrical and electronic engineering student, Michael Groenewald, told MatieMedia in written correspondence that SU’s engineering department “is insistent on very high standards” and the department’s lecturers are “knowledgeable, helpful and able to explain well”.
“The culture within the faculty is very inducive [sic] to getting things done,” Groenewald added.
Marcus Hamilton, a fourth year computer science student at SU, echoed Groenewald’s sentiments in written correspondence with MatieMedia by acknowledging that “the students are a big part of it”.
“Year after year, I saw classmates band together to get through the semester” and this was especially helpful “during the lockdowns”, explained Hamilton.