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15 August 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Sonia Small
UFS debate
Join the UFS, University of Pretoria (UP) and the Motsepe Foundation in the upcoming Universities in Dialogue (UiD) conversation taking place on 20 August 2019.

Universities in Dialogue (UID) is an initiative driven by the Motsepe Foundation, which is aimed at promoting intergenerational, mixed-gender, and race conversations about socio-economic issues affecting South Africa. 

The purpose of the debate is to discuss alternative measures to advance gender equality and likeness across society, provide a platform for the youth to voice their concerns and deliberate in solution-driven conversation with renowned professors, and to create a space for students to collaborate among one another in order to solicit, drive, and fast-track transformation and nation-building in our country. 

According to research conducted by the Motsepe Foundation, the average age of the South African population is 26 years, which is why the initiative aims to generate debate among the youth on the most pressing concerns facing South Africa today. 

The foundation invited Kovsies to join the 2019 UiD dialogue, together with students and professors from the University of Pretoria (UP), the University of Cape Town (UCT), and Wits University. 

The dialogue/series is interlinked to the Motsepe Foundation Women’s Unit mandate, which aims to initiate interventions that will bring social, economic, and political empowerment to women and girls. The first debate, in partnership with the University of Pretoria, is scheduled for Women’s Month and will focus on the equal rights and participation of women.

The debate motion states: South Africa requires a feminist government to advance gender equity and equality across all sectors of society.

Event details are as follows:

Date: Tuesday, 20 August 2019
Time: 16:00–19:00

Venue: Access the dialogue live on 20 August 2019 here

For more information about the UiD, contact news@ufs.ac.za or call +27 51 401 9300 or +27 51 401 3735.





News Archive

Young PhD graduate gets international attention
2010-02-22

Dr Nalize Marais
Photo: Supplied


The youngest ever PhD graduate from the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State (UFS), Dr Nalize Marais, has gained international recognition for her research study.

Her PhD thesis entitled Accountability and liability: an education law perspective on school leadership has been nominated for the Best Dissertation Award by the International Politics of Education Association. She will compete with two other finalists for this prestigious award.

The winner will be announced during the annual meeting and conference of the American Education Research Association (AERA) in Denver, Colorado, in April this year.

Dr Marais’ research study was driven by the principles of democracy founded in the advancement of human rights, equality and dignity. It dealt with issues of training and development in legislative knowledge and interpretation to empower school principals in their roles as accountable officers in a politically transforming environment.

She obtained her PhD at the September graduation ceremony of the UFS in 2009. She was only 27 years old when she submitted her thesis, making her the youngest person to obtain a PhD in Education at the UFS.

She is currently an instructional designer at the Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development (CHESD) at the UFS.

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