Professor Alfred Msomi, head of the mathematical sciences department is one of the professors at KZN universities that have impressed SA BRICS with the uptake on BRICS programmes. At an information flow meeting organised by eThekwini Municipality on 21 February at Durban’s ICC to raise awareness on BRICS, Professor Msomi was requested to make impromptu remarks on his participation in the Xiamen BRICS Institute of Future Skills Development and Technological Innovation. It is at this competition that Professor Msomi and his colleague, Darlington Hove scooped an award for AI and big data analysis. The spin-off to that participation also resulted in the team being able to establish the first MoU between MUT and a Chinese higher education institute, Fuzhou Polytechnic for International Cooperation. Speaking at the BRICS meeting, Professor Msomi explained: “Our participation as MUT provided a valuable opportunity to engage in networking with fellow competitors hailing from diverse backgrounds within the BRICS community. Furthermore, it afforded us exposure to cutting-edge technologies and the latest advancements in applied research.”
Professor Msomi’s participation in the BRICS information flow opens MUT to wide-ranging new emerging skills that BRICS wants every child in the BRICS countries to have. The role of mathematics cannot be overstated. The BRICS meeting also explained how the next meeting to take place in Russia will build on new skills and opportunities for those who have already commenced relationships with other BRICS countries. “We are impressed that the first programme to partake in BRICS is mathematics. Mathematics is the cornerstone of all sciences and technologies. A partnership with Fuzhou Polytechnic for International Cooperation will go a long way in enabling MUT to explore these new BRICS programmes which will allow students to have a digital passport based on the skills they will show”, said Teboho Semmerlink, GoDigital SA’s Chief Operations Officer.