Position Title:  Lecturer nGAP

LECTURER  nGAP

School Of Education

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

The School of Education (SOE) in the Faculty of Humanities - under the auspices of the New Generation of Academics Programme nGAP, Phase 10, funded by the Department of Higher Education - seeks to make an appointment of a black South African scholar at the Lecturer level in the area of education policy studies. The appointment will be made according to the purposes expressed in the Staffing South African Universities Framework (SSAUF) and would be a permanent staff establishment appointment at UCT from the onset, subject to institutional probationary and performance expectations. As such, the post offers a wonderful opportunity for an emerging education scholar to build a supported academic career at UCT whilst contributing to teaching, research, and policy engagement in the field.

The School of Education is a largely post-graduate interdisciplinary school in the Faculty of Humanities. It provides initial teacher education in the form of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). It also offers post-graduate study through Honours, Masters, and PhD programmes, as well as in-service teacher training and continuing education. Colleagues working in the education policy stream teach across all the above areas, as well as conducting research tied to education policy studies across the schooling, TVET, and higher education sectors.

    For more information please see:www.dhet.gov.za/ssauf/ngap.html.

The nGAP Lecturer post:

1. The appointment of the successful candidate at Lecturer level will be in line with the implementation of the nGAP program that focuses on recruiting new academics on a 4-year or a 6-year funded track.
2. For the 4-year funded track, eligible candidates would constitute those that have already attained their doctoral degrees. Successful candidates will have a reduced workload in their first two years of employment to focus on writing and building their academic careers and be expected to take up full teaching workloads in the third and fourth years of their appointment.
3. For the 6-year funded track, eligible candidates would constitute those that have recently completed their Masters degrees, or that have already started their doctoral degrees. These candidates will be supported with a reduced workload (20%) for three years to grow their doctoral studies. In year 4 they would have a 50% workload, and in year 5 and year 6 of the funded program they will assume their full academic workload within SoE.
4. All candidates will initially assist in teaching on, developing, and expanding the initial teacher education offerings within education policy studies and also contribute towards teaching practice supervision within public schools. In addition, depending on whether appointed on the 4-year or the 6-year funded track, the successful candidate will be expected to grow some teaching and supervision experience at the post-graduate level tied to areas within education policy studies. The goal in the latter is to grow capacity in terms of a research profile with attendant and appropriate academic publishing opportunities
5. To be considered for the lecturer position, candidates on both the 4-year and 6-year tracks will have to have attained a 70% grade in their Masters degree or equivalent. This is a non-negotiable nGAP requirement.
6. In terms of nGAP conditions, applicants must be 40 years or younger

APPLICANTS WITH AN AWARDED MASTERS DEGREE (6 YEAR FUNDED TRACK)

• A Masters Grade Point Average (GPA) of 70% or more (or equivalent).
• An awarded Masters Degree - with a specialisation in Education Policy studies or a closely related field (this typically includes areas like Sociology of Education, History of Education, Education Policy Research and Education Leadership and Management studies).
• Demonstrated potential to register for and complete a Doctoral degree in the area of Education Policy work and within the required timeframe; or have already started on doctoral studies at another university.
• Should enrol for a PhD (at any university) within three months of joining UCT.
• Evidence of excellent academic writing and conceptual work.

APPLICANTS WITH A PHD/DOCTORAL DEGREE (4-YEAR FUNDED TRACK)

• A Masters Grade Point Average (GPA) of 70% or more (or equivalent)
• A completed PhD/Doctoral degree in Education Policy work or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrable writing ability in the relevant area.
• Some evidence of teaching experience within higher education, preferably in education policy, education-related courses, non-formal education or basic education.
• Commitment to teaching, research, curriculum development, and postgraduate supervision in Education Policy and related fields.

ADDITIONAL ADVANTAGEOUS QUALITIES

• Motivated to pursue a long-term academic career in Education Policy work (sociology of education, history of education, education policy sociology, higher education policy enactment).
• Recognised ability to engage with and analyse policy development documents and education policy implementation at local, national, and international levels
• Keen interest in interdisciplinary collaboration with national and international researchers in education and related social science disciplines.
• Capacity to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team.
• Willingness to participate in academic development initiatives, including mentorship and training opportunities.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to contribute to debates on education reform and policy, and related fields.
• Proficiency in historically marginalised indigenous South African language
• Engagement in professional, community, and education policy networks would also be deeply advantageous.

    The annual cost of employment, including benefits for 2026, is R 974, 126

   To apply, please visit the UCT Jobs Site (www.jobs.uct.ac.za) to create a candidate profile and to submit     your application

  Please complete/attach the following to your profile before submitting your application:

• A letter of motivation that speaks to the requirements of the role.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
•  Copies of relevant academic transcripts and ID
• The names of three referees, including their title and name, position details, relationship to you, their e-mail address, and telephone number

An application which does not comply with the above requirements will be regarded as incomplete. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Shortlisted candidates may be required to undergo competency assessments and pre-placement-medical placements. References may be requested by UCT at any stage of the selection process.

Any enquiries for the position to be addressed to Ms Natasha Khan at Natasha.Khan@uct.ac.za or 021650 3469

Closing date:         31st  December 2025   

Website:               https://humanities.uct.ac.za/school-education

UCT is a designated employer and is committed to the pursuit of excellence, diversity and redress in achieving its equity targets in accordance with the Employment Equity Plan of the University and its Employment Equity goals and targets. Preference will be given to candidates from the under-represented designated groups. Our Employment Equity Policy is available at www.hr.uct.ac.za/hr/policies/employ_equity

When you apply for a position at UCT, we collect your personal information to assess your application, communicate with you, and coordinate interview logistics. Information such as race, gender, nationality, and disability status is used to support our Employment Equity obligations. We also verify your references, qualifications, conduct criminal and, for certain roles, credit checks. For more information about how the University of Cape Town uses personal information and your rights, please email popia@uct.ac.za.

The University reserves the right to extend the closing date for applications if deemed necessary and reserves the right to make no appointment.