Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
10 December 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Charl Devenish
Coloquium read more
The iKUDU kick-off meeting sets the tone for a three-year collaboration between 10 universities that share a vision for internationalisation

In order for higher education institutions to stay truly relevant and impactful, they need to be able to respond to global trends and patterns of higher education and internationalisation. Digitisation is one of the critical aspects of 4IR, which is currently unfolding.

The iKudu project is an innovative project that will connect large numbers of students utilising digital technology, thereby allowing students to gain international exposure irrespective of socioeconomic background, gender or disability status. Internationalised and transformed curricula, which integrate Cooperative Online International Learning (COIL) and virtual exchange, are a new model for the higher education teaching and learning. This will allow all students to develop the graduate attributes required for success and employability in a globalised world.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is the coordinator of the iKUDU project, which has been awarded €999 881,00 funding from the European Union’s Erasmus + Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) framework. It held its kick-off meeting from 25 to 26 November 2019 at the Bloemfontein Campus. The Office for International Affairs coordinates the project and hosted this meeting, which mapped out the project’s trajectory for the next three years. The co-coordinating University of Antwerp and all partner universities attended.

Inclusive and decolonised curricula

Over the next three years 10 partner consortium universities, consisting of five European partner universities and five South African partner universities, will have the responsibility of developing a contextualised South African concept of Internationalisation of the Curriculum (IoC), which integrates COIL virtual exchanges. This is an ideal firmly anchored in our university’s Integrated Transformation Plan (ITP).

Dr Jos Beelen, a professor of Global Learning at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands, referred in his keynote address to the 2014 Erasmus Impact Study, which assessed the effects of mobility on the skills and employability of students and the internationalisation of higher education institutions.

According to the findings, 64% of employers considered international experience important for recruitment which was a significant increase from 37% in 2006. In addition, the study showed that 64% of employers said graduates with an international background are given greater professional responsibility. Although conducted in Brussels in the European Union, the results reflect the growing view that internationalisation is the future.

Bridging the mobility gap

COIL Consulting Director, Jon Rubin, also presented a keynote address in which he stated: “International education has long suggested that the way to expand one’s view of other cultures is to travel, usually by studying abroad, and that modality, when engaged with intensity and self-reflection, is probably still the best way for students to learn about the world.”

Coloquium Content
Delegates who attended the iKUDU Colloquium at the University of the Free State ( Photo: Charl Devenish) 

However, only a select few university students and professors have the chance to blend study and research with travel. “COIL is a method for re-purposing the tools and affordances of online education so that they serve a new goal – that of providing meaningful international experiences for students and instructors. I think we can do more to build true online bridges to other cultures and I believe we can accomplish that through COIL linkages,” said Rubin.

UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, alluded to the project in his welcoming speech saying: “The focus of the iKUDU project is curriculum transformation.” The iKUDU kick-off meeting served as a platform to develop a project implementation plan that will ensure that equal, bilateral international collaboration between institutions and in the classroom remains a high priority.

News Archive

Qwaqwa Campus announces 2017/2018 SRC
2017-09-06

Description: QQ campus SRC Tags: Qwaqwa Campus, SRC,Sasco, Prakash Naidoo 

Newly-elected SRC President, Masopha Hlalele, leading a
ceremonial walk to the SRC chambers for the first sitting
of the SRC.With him is the Director: Student Affairs,
Temba Hlasho;IEA Chairperson, Grey Magaiza; and
Campus Principal, Prof Prakash Naidoo.
Photo: Thabo Kessah


The 2017/2018 Student Representative Council (SRC) elections on the Qwaqwa Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) have been declared free, fair, and credible. This was announced by the Chairperson of the institutional Independent Electoral Agency (IEA), Grey Magaiza, during the official announcement of the results and the hand-over ceremony held on 4 September 2017. 

“We had an average voter turnout of 52% per elective portfolio, thus making it arguably one of the highest in the country. Compared to last year, there was a 15% increase notwithstanding the 23% increase in the student population,” he said.  
In congratulating the newly-elected SRC, the Director of Student Affairs, Temba Hlasho, challenged the student leaders to leave the campus intact and fully sustainable for future generations.
“You are now faced with the mammoth task of understanding your role in developing an ethical and moral leadership that will help to sustain the university academically, financially, and beyond.”
In his response, the new SRC President, Masopha Hlalele, acknowledged the role played by the previous SRC, and said they were prepared to usher in a new phase of turning each student into a proud ambassador of the campus.

“We will be ushering in a new phase where all students will be the focus of the SRC. This will be a phase where students will not discriminate against each other, but appreciate each other’s differences and become ambassadors,” he said.

The South African Students’ Congress (Sasco) won all seven elective seats with an average of 62.5%.

Elective portfolios:

President: Masopha Hlalele 
Deputy President: Sakhile Mnguni 
Secretary General:  Mawande Mazibuko 
Treasurer General:  Mafusi Mosia 
Media and Publicity:  Khethukuthula Thusi 
Student Development and Environmental Affairs: Mbali Ndlovu 
Politics and Transformation: Promise Mofokeng

Ex officio portfolios:

Arts and Culture: Khulani Mhlongo 
Religious Affairs: Ndamulelo Muthaki, 
RAG, Community and Dialogue: Mafeka Tshabalala 
Residence and Catering Affairs: Thato Moloi  
Sports Affairs: Sibusiso Nsibande
Academic Affairs: Mamokete Tamo
Off-Campus: Khethwa Mngezi 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept