Academic Profile

Chumani Mnto is a passionate lecturer in the Speech and Language Pathology program within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Fort Hare, where she is committed to advancing inclusive, contextually relevant, and socially responsive education and practice. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of the Witwatersrand (2012–2015), laying a strong foundation in the clinical and theoretical dimensions of communication sciences. Driven by a deep commitment to early developmental care and family-centered practices, she went on to complete a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Intervention at the University of Pretoria (2018–2019). She is currently pursuing her PhD in Speech and Language Pathology at the University of Cape Town (2025 – in progress), where her doctoral research explores decolonial methodologies, severe communication disabilities, and the transformative potential of community-engaged scholarship. Chumani’s academic career began in 2021 as a Teaching and Orientation Tutor (TOT) at the University of Fort Hare. Recognized for her dedication and potential, she was appointed as a full-time lecturer in the Department of Natural and Rehabilitative Sciences in November 2024. Since then, she has become an integral part of the teaching and learning environment, bringing energy, empathy, and innovation into the classroom. A passionate educator and mentor, Chumani has supervised six Honours research students, guiding them through the complexities of academic inquiry while fostering ethical, culturally aware, and community-rooted research. Her teaching philosophy is centered on the principles of critical pedagogy, accessibility, and decoloniality—encouraging students to interrogate existing paradigms and co-construct knowledge that speaks to the realities of underserved populations. At the heart of her academic and research pursuits is a desire to dismantle structural barriers that limit access to communication and care—especially for children and individuals living with severe communication disabilities in rural and under-resourced communities. Through her work, she advocates for a reimagining of speech-language pathology in South Africa: one that is grounded in African knowledge systems, responsive to local contexts, and driven by justice, dignity, and collective well-being. Chumani Mnto’s growing influence in the field is defined not only by her academic achievements but by her unwavering commitment to transformation, equity, and the empowerment of the communities she serves. She continues to position her work at the intersection of research, teaching, and community engagement—making a lasting impact on the profession and the lives it touches.