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18 April 2019 | Story Rulanzen Martin

The Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice IRSJ) has initiated a Social Justice Week at the University of the Free State (UFS), which started on Friday 12 April  until Wednesday 17 April 2019. 

Ten key events took place during the week. It ranged from dialogues, workshops, talk shows, debates, and interactive displays and events on issues of multilingualism and diversity, social innovation, engaged scholarship, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, gender sensitisation, sexual consent, sexual preparedness, universal access, disability, anti-discrimination, and security.

There was also a round-table discussion on 17 April 2019 with various UFS stakeholders on off-campus student security as well as an inter-institutional discussion on the same topic. The UFS Debating Society will take on the topic of the UFS Language Policy, while Olga Barends from the Free State Centre for Human Rights will host a dialogue on sexual consent.

The IRSJ has also designed and implemented SOJO-VATION: Social Innovation/ Social Change, which strives to create a foundational platform where ideas of social justice, innovation, and engaged scholarship at the UFS and in society can be hosted. SOJO-VATION partners with the Office for Student Leadership, Development, and Community Engagement.

The collaborating partners for the Social Justice Week includes various UFS stakeholders such as the Sasol library, the Gender and Sexual Equity Office, UFS Protection Services, the Free State Centre for Human Rights, the Student Representative Council (SRC), the Office for Student Leadership Development, Kovsie Innovation, GALA, the FFree State Centre for Human Rights, SRC Associations, the Office for Student Governance, Kovsie Innovate, Start-Up-Grind, EVC, EBL, Community Engagement, the Institutional Transformation Plan (ITP) Dialogues Office, Residence Dialogues, UFS Debating Society, Debate Afrika!, the Center for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS), and the Gateway Office. 

News Archive

Mathematical problem-solving solutions found in African indigenous games
2015-04-02

A recent study by Dr Tshele Moloi, a Mathematics Education lecturer at the Qwaqwa Campus, revealed that games such as Diketo or Morabaraba enhance the understanding of abstract mathematical concepts in children.  Diketo is a children’s game where 10 small stones or marbles and 1 ghoen or big stone are made available to each player. A small hole about 5cm deep is dug in which the small stones are placed for the players.

During this game of Diketo, learners can identify the variables involved – both dependent and independent.  In round one of the game, it was found that the stones scooped out of the hole can be described by the pattern: f(n)= -n/2   +  21/2 , (where n denotes the throwing of the ghoen). Stones placed in the hole can be illustrated by the pattern:  f(m)= -m/2   +  10, (where m denotes the throwing of the ghoen). There are many patterns that can be obtained when the players are in round two.

The patterns which emanate from rounds one, two, and three can be put on the Cartesian Plane, which can then demonstrate the linear functions.

Read more about this study into mathematical solutions based on African indigenous games here.

For more information or enquiries contact news@ufs.ac.za

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