March is dedicated to highlight contributions of women to society. Globally, women continue to make an impact worth celebrating. One of such women is 55-year old Prof. Mamokgethi Phakeng who was inducted as the first female Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Town in July 2018, years after she made history as the first black female South African to earn a PhD in Mathematics Education.
Prof. Mamokgethi Phakeng is a passionate advocate for quality education who founded the Adopt-a-Learner Foundation (www.adopt-a-learner.com ) in 2004. The Adopt-a-Learner Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on giving financial and educational support to students from township and rural areas to acquire higher education qualifications.
Mamokgethi Phakeng holds a BSc Pure Mathematics from the University of North-West, an MSc in Mathematics Education from the University of Witwatersrand.
She is also the first black South African researcher to co-chair a study commissioned by the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction.
Mamokgethi Phakeng is blessed with a brilliant son and married to Lucky Phakeng.
