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28 March 2018 Photo Supplied
Building programmes receive accreditation
The vision for the UFS Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management is to be the preferred choice for built environment students and the preferred provider of built environment graduates.
In 2017 the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP) visited the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management at the University of the Free State (UFS), to re-accredit programmes offered by the department.

In January 2018 the department received the news that the SACPCMP granted full accreditation for the next five years (January 2018 to December 2022) for the programmes BSc Construction Management; BSc Hons Construction Management; and Master’s in Land and Property Development Management (Project Management specialisation).

The South African Council for Property Valuation Profession (SACPVP) also granted conditional accreditation for the Master’s in Land and Property Development Management (MLPM) (valuation specialisation) programme.

The value of accreditation
According to Prof Kahilu Kajimo-Shakantu, Head of the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management, it means the department is recognised as a certified place of learning offering a certified programme mix recognised by the SACPCMP as meeting its standards. It further means that the department, via its programmes, is able to produce graduates who are “fit for purpose”, technically competent, and have developed and can demonstrate a range of skills.

She added: “Having accredited programmes makes our programmes attractive, with wider employment opportunities. It certifies that our graduates from the Construction Management programme are qualified and competent. They have achieved a minimum level of competence to embark on the journey to practise professionally.”

Achieving and maintaining programme accreditation from the respective national and international professional bodies is the ultimate goal for the department. “This hallmark of quality reflects the university’s aspiration towards excellence,” Prof Kajimo-Shakantu said.

On offer at the department
The department offers BSc in Construction Management and BSc Hons in Construction Management and BSc Quantity Surveying and BSc Hons Quantity Surveying respectively.  These programmes are offered both on residential (full time) as well as via compact mode of delivery (block sessions) for those already working in the construction industry but who wish to obtain or further their educational qualifications. 

At master’s level, the department offers a structured Master of Land and Property Development Management Programme (MLPM) with specialisation in either Valuation or Project Management. Other programmes on offer are the following   master’s and doctoral programmes, namely; MSc Construction Management, MSc Property Science and MSc Quantity Surveying and PhD Construction Management, PhD Property Science and PhD Quantity Surveying respectively.

“My vision for the Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management is to be the preferred choice for built environment students and the preferred provider of built environment graduates,” said Prof Kajimo-Shakantu.

“Construction Management programmes, like the other programmes we offer, lead to exciting, challenging and rewarding careers in the construction industry and beyond. Our graduates are also highly sought-after by built environment employers nationally and internationally,” she concluded.

News Archive

UFS celebrates Kagiso Trust’s 30 years of commitment to the empowerment of impoverished communities
2015-07-15

From the left are: MEC Tate Makgoe, Free State Department of Education; Busi Tshabalala, Thabo Mofutsanyana Education District Director; Dean Zwo Nevhutalu,  Kagiso Trust Trustee  and UFS Director of Community Engagement, Bishop, Billy Ramahlele.
Photo: ?Thabo Kessah

Future sustainable partnerships in education will survive only if all partners are committed, honest, and transparent.

This is the view expressed by the Free State MEC for Education and UFS Council member, Tate Makgoe, during the panel discussion at the Qwaqwa Campus of the University of the Free State celebrating Kagiso Trust’s 30 years of commitment to the empowerment of impoverished communities. The topic was “The future partnership models for education in Africa”.

“Over the years, the partnership between the Free State Department of Education, the UFS, and Kagiso Trust has helped to expose the potential in our mainly rural children in the Qwaqwa area of the Thabo Mofutsanyana district,” said Makgoe.

”When we started in 2009, the matric pass rate in the district was 64%, and this rose to 87% in 2014. In Qwaqwa alone, we have managed to build 51 computer and 26 physical sciences laboratories. It was these laboratories that enabled the Free State to be the best performing province in the Physical Sciences in 2013,” added Makgoe.

“None of these achievements would have been possible if all the partners had not been committed to the course. Partnerships built on honesty and transparency are the best model, which we hope to export to other provinces and, indeed, countries,” Makgoe said.

Representing the UFS on the panel was the Director of Community Engagement, Bishop Billy Ramahlele, who added that collaborations can be successful only if the leadership was exemplary.

“As the university, we have had many collaboration with various government departments, and great strides have been achieved only with the Department of Education under the leadership of MEC Makgoe,” said Ramahlele.

”With the MEC on board, the UFS ended up dedicating its South Campus in Bloemfontein to supporting Free State schools. We now have 70 schools that benefit from live television broadcasts of lessons by some of our outstanding academics. This also enables our best academics to make a valued contribution to empowering our teachers. It also allows the university to maximise scarce resources to attain social cohesion,” he said.

In his remarks, Kagiso Trust Trustee, Dean Zwo Nevhutalu, said that Kagiso Trust was looking forward to continue working with its partners to maximise outcomes through limited resources.

“Kagiso Trust will continue to work with the poor and the marginalised and there is no better partner than the government itself. The government provides basic services, and education is one of them. This allows us to be innovative and not just dump books and equipment at schools because we are forced to by our corporate social investment obligations. Therefore, we challenge the government also to be innovative in building a sustainable future partnership model in education,” he said.

Among the dignitaries attending the panel discussion were Kagiso Trust Chairman, Dr Frank Chikane, and the late Dr Beyers Naude’s family.

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