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31 May 2018
Celebrating Africa the UFS way
The various events and initiatives that took place during the #UFSAfricaWeek.

The African Union was founded on 25 May 1963 and Africa Day is celebrated to mark the Union’s anniversary. However the entire month of May is dedicated to the commemoration of the continent’s freedom from colonialism and the unity of its diverse people.
 
A series of exuberant events were held on the Bloemfontein Campus last week. The UFS Debate Society officially opened the week, followed by the Annual Africa Day Memorial Lecture. The UFS Sasol Library then facilitated the Voices book launch. A group of students also served the community with meals in the spirit of ubuntu. The week culminated and closed with the UFS Africa Day Commemoration Panel Discussion.

UFS Debate Society: Africa Day Debate
Collectivism and striving for a unified African identity were the key debate points for the day. Tshiamo Malatji, chairperson of the UFS Debate Society, reflected on African histories, presenting a strong case for why indigenous Africans deserve liberation from a brutal past.
 
Lehakoe Masedi, one of the student speakers, outlined the role of communism in conjuring up an image of unity for African citizens and the diaspora. 

10th Annual Africa Day Memorial Lecture
Dr Rahul Rao shed some light on the topic of colonial statues from an international perspective by reflecting on the controversy surrounding the US Confederate statues and drawing from contemporary South African student activism. Dr Rao, a senior lecturer in politics at the SOAS University of London, presented this year’s memorial lecture titled, What do we mean when we talk about statues?, which was hosted by the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies.

UFS Library Africa Day Book Launch
Voices, a book by Kenyan author Abenea Ndago, was launched by the Department of English in collaboration with the Library and Information Services. The book is a compilation of short stories that encapsulate the experiences of Kenyan people living in rural villages and towns. The book explores the balance between two sides of the African story. “I wanted to bring to the fore a balanced story such as the role that was played by Africans in enslaving, disenfranchising and oppressing their fellow Africans, as well the role that was played by European sympathisers who supported liberation movements that stood against oppression, racism and discrimination,” said Ndago.
 
A meal in a jar
Members of the Student Representative Council together with residents of House Kestell spent the morning of 24 May 2018 preparing more than 100 meals. They then went to Heide Primary School and spent the afternoon sharing a hot and healthy meal with the learners.

UFS Africa Day Commemoration Panel Discussion
A panel of intellectual powerhouses such as the Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Francis Petersen; Director of UFS Department of Internationalisation: Mr Cornelius Hagenmeier; Acting Director of the UFS Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice: JC van der Merwe; founder of Embrace a Sister organisation: Pumla Mgobhozi; attorney of the High Court of South Africa and former President of the Student Representative Council (SRC): Richard Chemaly; former SRC President and spokesperson for the ANC Chief Whip in the provincial legislature: Phiwe Mathe; and senior lecturer in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies: Dr Stephanie Cawood, fielded critical discussions of issues of the continental significance on Africa Day.
 
To quote one of the panellists, Dr Cawood, in her address on decolonising knowledge: “No form of knowledge is absolute. In order to decolonise knowledge we must first acknowledge and incorporate different world views in our curriculum.” Dr Cawood said this in reference to the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) which she views as a vital driving force for sustainable living and economic development.

Africa Day, at the end of the UFS Africa Week, which ran from 22–25 May 2018, marked the beginning of Africa Month and an endless effort geared towards maintaining unity in diversity.

 

News Archive

SASOL TRAC laboratory launched at UFS Qwaqwa Campus
2006-05-08

Some of the guests attending the launch of the Sasol TRAC Laboratory at the University of the Free State's (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus were from the left Prof Peter Mbati (Principal of the Qwaqwa Campus), Mrs Zimbini Zwane ( Communications Manager of Sasol Infrachem), Prof Gerhardt  de Klerk (Dean : UFS Faculty of the Humanities), Prof Fred Hugo
 Director of TRAC SA) and Prof Jack van der Linde (Director of RIEP at the UFS).

SASOL TRAC laboratory launched at UFS Qwaqwa Campus

The Research Institute for Education Planning (RIEP) of the University of the Free State (UFS) today unveiled the Sasol TRAC Laboratory at its Qwaqwa campus.

The laboratory will be used to help grade 10, 11 and 12 learners and educators from the Qwaqwa region to conduct the experiments from the physical sciences outcome-based curriculum.

“The Sasol TRAC Laboratory introduces learners not only to the latest technology used by engineers and other scientists in practice but also to stimulate the learner’s interest in the field of science in such a way that more of them will enter into science related careers,” says Mr Cobus van Breda, Co-ordinator of the TRAC Free State Regional Centre.

According to Mr van Breda the newly established Sasol TRAC Laboratory will enable RIEP to train learners and their educators in Physical Sciences.  The laboratory will consist of six work stations equipped with computers and electronic sensors.

“Learners from the Qwaqwa region will visit the Sasol TRAC Laboratory on regular basis to conduct experiments based on the curriculum.  Data will be collected with electronic apparatus and presented as graphs on the computer so that results can be analysed and interpreted,” says Mr van Breda.

“There is a serious shortage of suitable qualified teachers in maths and science in the Qwaqwa region.  Many schools in the region are not yet part of the RIEP project and are in dire need of assistance.  A large number of these schools are in remote areas not reached regularly by intervention programmes,” says Prof Peter Mbati, Principal of the UFS Qwaqwa Campus.

“The establishment of the Sasol TRAC Laboratory at the Qwaqwa Campus provides us the opportunity to engage with our community and assist in the development and training of these vital education subjects.  We are pleased that Sasol agreed to fund the project,” says Prof Mbati.

Students from the Qwaqwa Campus will also benefit from the TRAC programme.   “Some promising students will also undergo further training and become assistants for the TRAC programme,” says Prof Mbati. 

“Nurturing science and mathematical skills is of great importance in growing our national economy. Annually, Sasol invests more than R50 million in supporting mathematical and science education in South Africa. Our primary aim is to increase the number of learners gaining access to tertiary education in the science fields. Therefore, our Corporate Social Investment (CSI) education interventions at secondary school level focus on educator development and direct learner interventions such as the Sasol TRAC Laboratory,” explains Ms Pamilla Mudhray, CSI and SHARP manager at Sasol.

According to Ms Mudhray the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement for physical sciences in the further education and training (FET) phase from 2006, under resourced schools will need greater access to the tools and equipment necessary to teach the syllabus and fulfil the ideals of the curriculum.

TRAC South Africa is a national non-profit programme focused on supporting and expanding science, mathematics and technology education in secondary schools. The programme was first introduced to South Africa in 1994. In 2005, RIEP established the TRAC Free State regional centre on the UFS Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
5 May 2006

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