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02 April 2019
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Story Valentino Ndaba
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Photo Charl Devenish
Pictured are 8 of the 64 UFS School of Accountancy students who form part of the 84.2% pass rate achievers.
Students from the University of the Free State (UFS) School of Accountancy achieved a 84.2% pass rate compared to the national average of 76.2% during the Initial Test of Competence (ITC) examination facilitated by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
A total of 64 out of 76 UFS students who attempted the ITC for the first time were successful in the examination. The ITC is known for its challenging nature. Demographically, our African black students outperformed the 62.1% national pass rate by attaining an impressive 80.6%.
Collective congratulations
Prof Hentie van Wyk, Programme Director at the school, attributed diligence for the high pass rate. “This is due to our student-centred teaching module that was introduced four years ago and committed academic staff of the School of Accountancy from the first to the fourth year.”
Further future surge expected
“With the coming June 2019 ITC sitting, our pass rate for 2019 will most probably be more than 90%. Our three-year rolling average for 2015-2017, 2016-2018 and 2017-2019 were 83%, 86% and 90% respectively. Hopefully we can maintain the upward curve,” said Prof Van Wyk.
UFS Music rises to academic prominence
2007-10-18
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From the left are: Ronella Jansen van Rensburg, Hanna van Schalkwyk, Elene Coetzer en Lizabé Lambrechts
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Four postgraduate students gave prominence to the Music Department of the University of the Free State by having four academic articles published by accredited journals, and a fifth published in an international online journal.
It is the first time that a tertiary music institution in South Africa has had so many postgraduate studies published in one year, says Prof Martina Viljoen.
The students who worked under Prof Viljoen's supervision are Hanna van Schalkwyk, senior lecturer in singing at UFS; Ronella Jansen van Rensburg, part-time music lecturer and founder of the Sentraal-Kultuurakademie (Central Culture Academy); Elene Coetzer, also a part-time lecturer and involved in the Mangaung String Project; and Lizabé Lambrechts, who is still studying full-time.
Hanna and Ronella attained their master's degrees and Lizabé honours.
Hanna's research on the unique and at times unorthodox philosophy in singing and method of the pedagogue in singing Sarie Lamprecht (1923-2005) is published in the Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe (Journal for the Humanities).
The study documents interviews held with Lamprecht over more than two years as well as conversations with her most prominent students.
Ronella's study on the relationship between emotional intelligence and musical performance anxiety is divided into two successive articles in the journal Musicus.
Dr Adelene Grobler, Epog director at UFS, was Ronella's co-supervisor.
Elene conducted a qualitative investigation into the Mangaung String Programme in which the social value of this teaching programme is emphasised.
She documented the responses of learners, parents and teachers who are involved in the project. Her article is published in the Journal of the Musical Arts in Africa.
Lizebé reached out to pop culture for her research and wrote about no less a person than the controversial shock-rock-icon Marilyn Manson.
Her study serves as a model analysis for educational work that focuses on popular culture as a didactic instrument.
In this respect Manson's music, which is frequently slated as vulgar or disturbing, is shown as aggressive social comment.
Lizabé's article, which throws light on Manson's bisexual identity, was published as a full-length monograph in the first edition of the overseas online noncejournal.
In 2005 the Department of Music also excelled when it was the first academic music institution in South Africa that published international congress proceedings as a subsidised collection.
The collection contained eminent international authors and was published under the guest editorship of Viljoen.
Die Volksblad – 1.10.07 |