Research
Parents: read to your children
South African learners need a culture of reading at home to thrive in reading literacy and comprehension at school. According to researchers at the Centre for Evaluation & Assessment (CEA) at the University of Pretoria...
SA schools and classrooms need more books to ensure reading literacy
A lack of resources in South African schools is hampering early reading literacy, say University of Pretoria researchers. The recently released Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)...
Literacy is key to saving SA’s next generation
Professor Sarah Howie has worked in education research for more than 20 years, most of which were dedicated to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).
Ten-year study shows South African school reading literacy is slow to improve
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 report paints a concerning picture of primary school-level reading literacy in South Africa, with no significant progress made since the last report in 2011...
Herding for Health
The Herding for Health Project initiated by the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria is a One Health, pro-poor, rural development project which aims to respond to pressing challenges at the livestock/wildlife interface.
Unravelling the mysteries of meerkat behaviour
Researchers at the University of Pretoria form part of the Kalahari Meerkat Project in the Northern Cape's Kuruman River Reserve, which has studied groups of wild meerkats for over 20 years.
UP launches new Centre for mother and child health
After 20 years of contributing in the lives of pregnant women, newborn babies and infants; the South African Medical Research Council's (MRC’s) Maternal and Infant Health Care Strategies Unit will finally become a fully fledged...
A lifelong quest to reduce infant deaths
For most doctors in training, obstetrics is hectic and too busy, but for Dr Felicia Molokoane it is a calling. Her bold career choice has led to her being part of groundbreaking research on the effects of HIV treatment on the growth of babies.
Locally made low-cost device reduces stillbirths by half
Researchers at the University of Pretoria (UP) have just finished testing a device that could prevent thousands of still births every year. The Umbiflow is a low-cost, low-tech device that detects problems with pregnancies...
Kangaroo Mother Care: UP’s low-tech solution is saving premature babies
Premature babies all over Africa and in developing countries around the world have a greater chance of survival today thanks to the work of University of Pretoria (UP) researchers. Drs Anne-Marie Bergh...
UP trains healthcare professionals to reduce maternal deaths
The newly launched Research Centre for Maternal, Fetal, Newborn and Child Health Care at the University of Pretoria (UP) has access to a treasure trove of expertise and data gathered over the last two decades.
From audits to action: UP data is saving moms and babies
UP researchers have been working with the South African government to collect data on mother, newborn and child deaths across the country since 1997. Now all this data is being put to good use as the Research Centre for Maternal, Fetal, Newborn and...
How giraffes keep it cool
The African landscape would be incomplete without the majestic silhouette of the giraffe to adorn the savannah sunset tableau. Researchers at the Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies at the University of Pretoria...
Indigenous bacteria gives maize crops a helping hand
A local bacteria that grows around plant roots could help SA farmers save money by improving maize yields and reducing crop water stress.
Decolonising archaeology at UP
What does decolonising archaeology mean? Professor Innocent Pikirayi and Dr Ndukuyakhe Ndlovu from the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Pretoria have set out to answer this question.
Painting a new picture of South African rock art
Archaeology researchers at the University of Pretoria are finding new ways to interpret the ancient rock art found in overhangs and on rock walls around South Africa.
Tapping ancient water for the present
Researchers at UP’s Department of Anthropology and Archaeology are piecing together how communities living in the 11th-16th century CE city of Great Zimbabwe sourced and managed their water resources.
UP researcher traces new maps of ancient networks
Mapping trade networks in the Mapungubwe state is revealing complex political and social structures and changing researchers’ ideas of how the Great Kingdom was structured and operated.
On the edges of Mapungubwe’s influence
New research and excavations in the Limpopo Valley are providing an unprecedented understanding of the 13th century Mapungubwe state and turning Western ideas about political structures in Africa on their heads along the way.
Past and present stories of Africa
New techniques, new attitudes and new perspectives mean that the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Pretoria is blazing a new trail and setting the standard for how archaeology should be done in southern Africa.