Distinguished Professor Heila Lotz-Sisitka, a leading figure in environmental education, was awarded the 2024 SAERA Research Honours Award by the South African Education Research Association (SAERA) last week (31 October) at their annual conference in Bloemfontein. The award recognises her substantial contribution to the development of education research in South Africa, especially within the fields of Environmental and Sustainability Education, over a remarkable 30-year career. The accolade, which is one of the highest forms of national recognition for a researcher in the Educational Sciences in South Africa, also marks a significant first for Rhodes University’s Education Faculty.
Prof. Lotz-Sisitka is the director of the Environmental Learning Research Centre (ELRC) at Rhodes University, where her Tier 1 SARChI Chair is based. She has been a cornerstone in integrating environmental education into South Africa’s educational landscape, with her work influencing and catalysing key policy initiatives, including the South African Environmental Sector Skills Plan and the national curriculum. Her research has been instrumental in addressing pressing climate and sustainability issues through education, now also informing skills development for South Africa’s Just Energy Transition.
“I am deeply humbled,” she said in her acceptance speech, “This would not have happened 30 years ago, when our research field was embryonic. But people are now realising how important Environment and Sustainability concerns are to a quality and relevant education.” She emphasised that the nature of her journey has been collaborative, recognising the important contributions of colleagues, students, and community partners who share her commitment to sustainable education.
Throughout her career, Professor Lotz-Sisitka has been dedicated to mentoring and developing emerging scholars. She has supervised or co-supervised over 150 postgraduate scholars, including 58 PhDs and 72 Masters students, many of whom now contribute to sustainability education worldwide. "Working with these scholars has been a privilege," she shared, "I’ve learned as much from them as they have from me."
Beyond academic mentorship, her impact has been tangible in securing over ZAR 140 million in research funding, supporting numerous scholarships, programs, and projects at Rhodes University. She has also made her fundraising skills more widely available, helping over the years to raise in excess of another ZAR 70 million + funds for national and international programmes. This included the SADC Regional Environmental Education Programme which worked across 14 southern African countries between 1997 and 2016, and the UNESCO Sustainability Starts with Teachers Programme which works across 11 SADC countries, advancing sustainability education across Africa.
Additionally, her collaborative work with programs such as Fundisa for Change, a national teacher education initiative, has further integrated environmental learning within South Africa’s educational systems by working closely with its teachers. She recently contributed to the highest level of educational policy work while revising a UNESCO Recommendation for Education, Peace and Sustainable Development.
This would not have happened 30 years ago, when our research field was embryonic. But people are now realising how important Environment and Sustainability concerns are to a quality and relevant education.”
Prof Lotz-Sisitka has also led cutting edge international research on transformative learning in times of climate change, with grants from prestigious international research funding organisations such as the International Science Council. Her extensive publication record includes over 250 academic works, with her most recent contributions being to a book framing a new orientation to Vocational Education and Training in Africa; a co-edited special issue of the South African Journal of Science focusing on Engaged Sustainability Science and Sustainability Science Engagement; and a publication summarising eight years of transformative learning research in a Special Issue Journal focusing on the Politics of Environmental Education Research. Much of this research has been focused on engaging communities in a collaborative learning environment, outside of formal educational institutions.
Her influential research has earned her invitations to deliver keynotes at some of the most prestigious education research and sustainability science conferences in the world, presenting over 145 keynotes to date.
Expressing her gratitude, she credited Rhodes University’s continuous support, highlighting the foundational role of her colleagues and university leaders in fostering a place where environmental education could flourish. “From establishing the first Chair in Environmental Education to supporting the creation of a dedicated Environmental Learning Research Centre, Rhodes has been a supportive home for this work,” she said. “I thank the former Vice-Chancellor Professor Saleem Badat, my current VC, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, and the two DVCs of Research and Innovation that I have worked with, Professor Peter Clayton, and most recently Dr Kwezi Mzilikazi. Their support has been vital for this research field to flourish”. She also expressed appreciation for the Education Faculty leadership team and colleagues for their continued support of this field of research over the past 34 years, and the instrumental support from the DSI/NRF for her SARChI Chair.
“My approach to research, teaching and life in general is creative, co-operative and collaborative,” said Professor Lotz-Sisitka, “I am ethically and intellectually inspired by the beauty and potential of human-nature relations, and the possibilities of social justice in a world less troubled. I have a passion for social theory and creative works all kinds, and for children and their futures. Mostly I love teaching, the potential of human learning and agency, and the creativity found and made in nature, research, art and epistemic engagements that are edgy and unusual”.
Professor Lotz-Sisitka expressed her gratitude to the SAERA community and the work that they do to advance educational research in South Africa. This award underscores the importance of environmental education in addressing global challenges, honouring a legacy of innovative research that continues to shape educational policy and practice in South Africa and beyond.