Postgraduate Supervision: Opinion Based on Personal Experience

Supervision of postgraduate students at universities is one of the core responsibilities of academics and is considered a measure of academic output.1 De Gruchy and Holness2 described graduate supervision as being “situated at the interface of teaching and research, and having to do with the transference of research and related skills”. Supervisors are tasked with the responsibility to support and guide students to identify feasible research topics and questions, develop study protocols, provide oversight of the research process, complete their projects on time and to integrate candidates into academia.3 In view of the significant role that supervisors play in postgraduate education, Mapasela and Wilkinson4 asserted that good supervision is central to successful postgraduate research. Similarly Mothiba5 and Igumbor.6 affirmed that the quality and success of postgraduate education and training largely depend on effective and efficient supervision.