Malesela Edward Montle

Youth in Education

Nominee's Province:
Limpopo

Age:
28

Project Name/Description:

More info:

With his love of English and good marks in the subject and the teaching baton from his late father, Dr Edward Montle’s fate as a teacher was long sealed. Starting his teaching career at secondary school, the Burgersfort-born was destined for bigger things, as he would progress to teach in higher education. Now a senior lecturer of English Studies at the University of Limpopo, his alma mater, the 30-year-old has blazed more trails than his seniors, and his father must be proud. Not one to idle and rest on his laurels, Montle has served on several academic societies and journal editorial boards. His research publications mostly address postcolonial themes in the African environment. His efforts as a student earned him recognition as one of the top students in the Faculty of Humanities and the much-coveted Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Best Overall Upcoming Researcher. Be that as it may, these accomplishments do not compare to the realisation of his goal of acquiring his PhD before age 30. The achievement pleases the supervisor of postgraduate studies. According to Montle, the system is yet to break away from colonial identities. He thinks that more scholarships and other measures should be invested to decolonise the system. “Higher education provides a brilliant platform for one to make a remarkable contribution towards finding solutions for Africa and the world at large,” he says.