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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

Researcher in Otorhinolaryngology advocates education in deafness and hearing loss
2015-12-17

Description: Dr Magteld Smith Tags: Dr Magteld Smith

Dr Magteld Smith

The annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities falls on 3 December. Statistics reveal that 7.5% of the South African population suffer from some form of physical disability.

More than 17 million people in South Africa are dealing with depression, substance abuse, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia - illnesses that round out the top five mental health diagnoses, according to the Mental Health Federation of South Africa. The South African Federation for Mental Health is the umbrella body for 17 mental health societies and numerous member organisations throughout the country.

On disability, world-renowned author Helen Keller, who was both deaf and blind, once said that the problems that come with being deaf are deeper and more complex than those of blindness, and is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss of the most vital stimulus - the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir, and keeps us in the intellectual company of man.

According to Dr Magteld Smith, lecturer and researcher in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of the Free State (UFS), hearing loss of any degree at any age can have far-reaching psychological and sociological implications which affect an individual’s day-to-day functioning, and might prevent him or her from reaching their full potential. She says that even though advancements have been made in aiding deaf persons, there’s still considerable room for improvement. She’s making it her mission to bring about changing the stigmatisation around deafness, and the different choices of rehabilitation.

Dr Smith was born with bilateral (both ears) severe hearing loss, and became profoundly deaf, receiving a cochlear implant in 2008. Not letting this hinder her quality of life, she matriculated in 1985 at a School for the Deaf in Worcester. Today she is the only deaf medical-social researcher in South Africa.

Her research focuses on all aspects of deafness and hearing loss. Through first-hand experience, she knows that a loss of hearing can be traumatic as it requires adjustments in many areas of life which affect a person’s entire development. However, she has not let her deafness become a stumbling block. She has become the first deaf South African to obtain two Master’s degrees and a PhD, together with various other achievements.

Her work is aimed at informing and educating people in the medical profession, parents with children, and persons with various degrees and types of hearing loss about the complexities of deafness and hearing loss. She believes that, with the technological advancements that have been made in the world, deaf people can become self-sufficient and independent world changers with much to contribute to humanity.

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