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04 May 2018 Photo Facebook
Kovsies aim top 6 in Varsity hockey Cheslyn Neethling
Cheslyn Neethling will lead the Kovsie men’s hockey team in the Varsity Hockey tournament.
The Kovsie men’s hockey team hope to draw inspiration from their victory over the North-West University recently when they face their old rivals in the opening round of the Varsity Hockey tournament.

The tournament for men, which is contested biannually, starts on Friday 4 May 2018.

The Kovsies played the Pukke in two matches in Potchefstroom at the end of March with both sides on the winning side once each.

According to the coach Braam van Wyk it will give them a lot of confidence when they come up against the Pukke on Friday afternoon (4 May) in Johannesburg.

“We hope to finish in the top six, anything better than that will be a bonus,” said Van Wyk, in his third year as coach of the team.

They reached the semi-final in 2014 and ended seventh in 2016.

It is a short tournament of just two-and-a-half weeks with the final on 21 May 2018. 

On Saturday 5 May they tackle the University of Johannesburg who won the inaugural men’s tournament in 2014 and defended it in 2016.

The Madibaz lay in wait on Sunday 6 May and on Monday 7 Mayat the University of Cape Town. 

Van Wyk, who played for the Kovsies between 2006 and 2009, said he is in favour of the power play. Each side has one in a match. For three minutes the team will be without two players, with goals worth two points. In addition, all field goals are worth two points. If a match is drawn it will go straight to a shootout.

The Kovsies are led by Cheslyn Neethling. Two players, Egon van der Merwe and Jan Willem Ras, will feature in their third Varsity tournament.

News Archive

Success of Schools Partnership Programme embodies essence of UFS
2016-01-04

Description: Schools Partnership programme Tags: Schools Partnership programme

The everyday function and subsequent success of the SPP have come to embody the very essence of the UFS: inspiring excellence; transforming lives.

Addressing the urgent need for quality education at school level, the University of the Free State (UFS) established the Schools Partnership Project (SPP) in 2012. The aim of the project has been to turn ineffective schools into institutions producing outstanding results, thereby increasing the number and quality of first-year students at the UFS.

Within three years, the SPP has grown to include 68 primary and secondary schools across the Free State and the Sterkspruit area in the Eastern Cape. The programme is headed by Dr Peet Venter and run from the UFS South Campus. Expert mentors assist teachers and principals at these schools on a weekly basis, helping them to excel at their core functions. The programme’s success has been phenomenal.

Learner results from the SPP schools show a marked improvement compared to previous years. Teachers report that they have gained a broader understanding of the subjects they teach. “The university is doing a great job with this programme,” says one of the teachers. “We have developed a lot. We really appreciate this partnership.” Teachers not only gain substantial expertise in areas of planning, presentation, and subject knowledge; an increasing number of them have been receiving promotions, too.

The principals experience similar positive results, and regard the SPP as a productive contribution to their schools. The project has also established closer cooperation between principals and schools. This enables them to achieve common goals, share knowledge, and deal with challenges together.

An added spin-off of the programme has been the increased involvement of parents and care-givers. “We experience much more involvement from the community,” says mentor Danie Nieuwenhuizen. Parents start to take it upon themselves to tidy school grounds, care for vegetable gardens, and prepare food at school feeding schemes. Even the Sustained Silent Reading programme – that supplies magazines to learners – is now having an impact on households and communities. Many homes have never had magazines or other reading material before the reading programme.

The everyday function and subsequent success of the SPP have come to embody the very essence of the UFS: inspiring excellence; transforming lives.

 

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