Thandeka Mosholi

Head of the UFS Social Responsibilities Projects

The purpose of the Social Responsibilities Projects

The University of the Free State aims to impact the youth of South Africa. This is not only true for the young intellectuals who have the opportunity to earn tertiary qualifications, but also for those people in disadvantaged communities who are at risk of being deprived of such an opportunity due to receiving poor basic education. The UFS Social Responsibility Projects serve as vehicles to address this social injustice.

The UFS Social Responsibility Projects has established itself as an agent of change in, and friend of, disadvantaged communities. Allied with sponsors who embody compassion and integrity, we respond to the obligation to positively impact the future of South African youth. Our passion resonates with those who desire to open opportunities and bring purpose to gifted learners born in circumstances they did not choose, by being leaders in school change. We believe that this contribution to develop the social capital within communities will prove to be a stabilising factor in deprived families, educational institutions, and the social structure of South Africa.

Partnership with sponsors

Our sponsors benefit from being associated with our long, credible history of bringing about change in school management, improving the quality of teaching in classrooms, conducting effective teacher- and learner- interventions, and opening up opportunities for gifted learners. 

We take pride in our accountability by providing frequent and authentic progress reports to all sponsors. We align all our initiatives with our sponsors’ company values.  We foster sensitivity to diversity and inclusion in the execution of all our initiatives. The high standards we hold our teachers, learners, and students to, serve as the foundation for the success of our endeavours. 

    

Divisions of the Social Responsibilities Projects

    

Short learning programmes (SLP)

We offer a variety of longer-duration accredited professional development opportunities, some of which are potentially credit-bearing towards certain Advanced Certificate in Education and Training university courses if studied at the University of the Free State. These short learning programmes also earn participants continuous professional development (CPD) points with the South African Council of Educators (SACE). 
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Internet broadcast project (IBP)

Over the last ten years, teachers and learners across the Free State have recognized the benefits of receiving rich media webcasting for instruction through the Internet Broadcast Project (IBP) – a collaborative project between the Free State Department of Education (FSDoE) and the South Campus (SC) of the University of the Free State (UFS). Through this project expert teachers present lessons at the IBP studio, situated at the South Campus of the UFS and these lessons are broadcasted live via VSAT Internet Access to 83 centres across the province within 43 towns in all 5 districts (including the District Teachers Development Centres – DTDC). This is made possible through video equipment, Webcasting Hardware systems, editing software, and media streaming servers within a MPLS VPN (Virtual Private Network).  The technology provided at each school allows learners to view and communicate with an expert teacher in the studio during broadcast at no cost to the school or learner. All lessons can be accessed again after the live session via an online web-based catalogue.
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In-service teacher training (INSET)

We offer short-duration professional development opportunities to Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Physical Sciences teachers. These are not university credit-bearing, but earn participants continuous professional development (CPD) points with the South African Council of Educators (SACE). Each workshop is aimed at equipping teachers for the term ahead by developing their subject matter knowledge, giving them access to high quality resources, and exposing them to a variety of teaching strategies, including use of practical work and integration of technology.

Learner interventions

These interventions are aimed at helping higher learners to achieve their true potentials. We particularly focus on providing higher achieving learners from disadvantaged communities with both curriculum-aligned and extra-curricular stimulation in mathematics, natural and physical sciences, and coding.
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Schools Partnership Projects

This project focuses on the improvement of the efficacy and quality of school management, subject teaching, and learner development. We make use of well-qualified and experienced mentors who visit project schools daily. These mentors provide personal encouragement and professional support to principals and teachers to enhance their skills and knowledge.
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Research

The research division conducts research both for quality-control of the various projects, which includes feedback to donors, as well as for academic purposes. Areas of academic research include various aspects related to promotion of effective learning and teaching of mathematics and of the natural and physical sciences, in the South African context.
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