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30 October 2018
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Story Rulanzen Martin
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Photo Peet van Aardt
Some of the student writers who contributed to the anthology that tells their stories in Sesotho, isiXhosa, isiZulu, English and Afrikaans.
How do you transform the higher education curriculum? You involve the exact people the curriculum is intended for. The book, Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN,) illustrates how decolonisation can be achieved through literature for students by students.
iCAN is an initiative by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the University of the Free State (UFS) to mentor students in creative and narrative writing. Under the mentorship of Dr Peet van Aardt, project coordinator, and Ace Moloi, author and UFS alumnus, iCAN Volume 1 was recently launched with 47 short stories written by UFS students.
“The project is a response from the centre for the ever-increasing need for decolonised curricula, steeped in the local cultural perspective of ubuntu,” said Dr Van Aardt.
“This book is an example for how decolonisation can be implemented,” said Prof Francois Stydrom, Senior Director of CTL. The overall aim of the iCAN project is to have the content that materialised from it to be included in the curriculum of first-year students at UFS in the near future.
Book provides multiple voices
Starting in May 2018, CTL presented a series of creative writing workshops on all three of the UFS campuses. “It’s a medium that allows a diverse range of students to express their views and develop their voices as writers,” said Prof Strydom.
It is a form of empowerment, to pass the baton to students to improve the UFS curriculum by writing and publishing their own stories, thereby contributing to larger bodies of knowledge through their lived experiences.
“I believe we as a university need to enable students so that they move away from just being users to becoming contributors to the curriculum,” Dr van Aardt concluded.
Centre for Financial Planning Law and INSETA making a difference
2014-07-16
The Centre for Financial Planning Law (CFPL) in the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State and the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA) has established a hugely-beneficial collaboration. Due to this partnership, students at CFPL has access to bursaries of R950 000. These bursaries are available to students studying towards a undergraduate BIuris degree, a postgraduate diploma in Financial Planning, or an advanced postgraduate diploma in Financial Planning.
The CFPL handles the recruitment and selection process for the bursary fund, which will cover up to R68 040.95 for tuition, accommodation and book fees. In addition, the bursaries also cover other fees such as equipment and registration.
According to Shirly Hyland, Director of the Centre for Financial Planning Law, the centre recognises the financial strain some students undergo. The bursaries will therefor enable many of these students – who considered discontinuing their studies because of financial constraints – to continue studying, making a tremendous difference in their lives.