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19 October 2018
Conference evaluates impact of academia on public sector
From left: Prof Liezel Lues, ASSADPAM outgoing chairperson; Prof Mogie Subban, newly elected chairperson; Lechesa Tsenoli, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly; and Dr Henk Boshoff, Free State Provincial Public Service Commissioner.

As part of a process to evaluate the impact of the discipline of Public Administration and Management on the performance of the public sector, the Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management (ASSADPAM) recently held a conference themed: ‘Back To The Future: Revisiting the discipline of Public Administration and Management for responsive and sustainable development in Bloemfontein’.

The University of the Free State’s Department of Public Administration and Management hosted the ASSADPAM at a critical time when the country is moving towards the 2019 general elections. Evaluations of this nature are essential in order to identify areas where improvements need to be intensified.

Prof Liezel Lues, ASSADPAM chairperson, says: “Public administration and management has been strongly influenced by several multifaceted political, economic and cultural forces globally and nationally. Now, in 2018, the discipline of Public Administration and Management is evaluating its impact on the performance of the public sector, realising its own responsibility but also that of citizens and public servants for responsive and sustainable development.”

Academics meet the business of governance

Some 114 delegates from 18 different institutions had the opportunity to interactively discuss 68 research papers which were presented from 26 to 28 September 2018. Burning challenges were tackled by prominent role players. Lechesa Tsenoli, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly presented on the Academic-Practitioner Interface, while Dr Henk Boshoff, the Free State Provincial Public Service Commissioner debated the Quality and Relevance of Research. The Quality and Credibility of Public Administration and Management training and development was the topic of a discussion fielded by Prof Thean Potgieter, the Acting Branch Head Training Policy and Planning National School of Government.

ASSADPAM honours research excellence
 
Prof Hendri Kroukamp, the Acting Vice-Rector: Academic at UFS, Prof Liza Van Jaarsveldt from the University of South Africa and Prof Michiel de Vries of Radboud University in the Netherlands co-authored the paper which scooped the prize for best conference paper. The award-winning paper titled: ‘International standards, decolonisation, curriculum considerations and public administration education’ was presented at the conference.

News Archive

Kovsies among top SADC debaters
2014-11-26

From the left are: Matlhodi Leteane and Lehakoe Masedi.

The UFS Debate Society is definitely not all talk and no action. They ranked 10th at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Debate Open held in Gaborone, Botswana, from 14 – 16 November 2014.

Kovsie students Lehakoe Masedi (second-year BCom Law) and Matlhodi Leteane (first-year LLB Law) teamed up to represent our university at the prestigious SADC event hosted by the University of Botswana Speaking Union. Eight Southern African countries were represented as well as six universities from South Africa.

“Attending a tournament focused on the debating of regional issues and solutions was a great reward and we wish to take part in more of these tournaments in future,” says Lehakoe.

Out of a pool of 40 of the best individual speakers in Southern Africa, Lehakoe and Matlhodi were jointly awarded 18th place.

“Debate continues to help the growth of the student community and the attendance of such debate tournaments lends a lot of help to the internal growth of not only our partnership but our debate society as a whole,” says Lehakoe. “We take great pride in our performance, especially as first-year *British Parliamentary speakers. We wish to improve and grow as we progress further in our debate careers.”

*British Parliametary speaking is the style of debating used by university institutions.

 

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