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15 July 2019 | Story Eugene Seegers | Photo Eugene Seegers
Chris Grobler, Eunice Qwelane, Bob Tladi, and Elmien Retief on the UFS South Campus during the Monyetla Bursary Project’s Winter School.
Chris Grobler, Eunice Qwelane, Bob Tladi, and Elmien Retief on the UFS South Campus during the Monyetla Bursary Project’s Winter School.

Three members of the Free State Department of Education (FSDoE) recently visited the UFS South Campus to see an example of inclusive education at work: The Monyetla Bursary Project’s sixth Winter School. Monyetla means ‘opportunity’ in Sesotho. We spoke to Bob Tladi (Chief Director: Education Development and Support, FSDoE), Eunice Qwelane (Director: Inclusive and Special-Needs Education, FSDoE), Elmien Retief (Acting CES, Inclusive and Special-Needs Education, FSDoE), and Chris Grobler (Director: Monyetla Bursary Project) to find out why this year’s programme was of special interest to the province’s Department of Education.

According to Eunice Qwelane, the special area of interest for her department was the hard-of-hearing and deaf Grade 12 learners from Bartimea School in Thaba Nchu. She says the Winter School is “an opportunity for these disabled learners to be integrated into the broader school community. For them, it is also a step of progressive development towards their future, as well as preparation for tertiary education.” She adds that it is also an opportunity for them to receive excellent tuition. “Monyetla’s Winter School at the UFS South Campus ensures that subjects are taught by the best possible educators.”

Chris Grobler mentions that additional opportunities were created for these learners to interact with hearing learners. During their time off at the cafeteria or during breaks, they can play games and get to know one another. Hearing learners were also taught basic greetings in South African Sign Language (SASL) and were encouraged to interact with deaf students as much as possible.

He adds: “There is a need for administrators to develop and widen their thinking. Schools that attend the Winter School are from all over the province, not only Motheo District in the Free State. Even more than that, learners visit from all over the country — from the North-West, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern, Western and Northern Cape — because we have built a reputation here. As the University of the Free State, we are doing good towards ALL. It is a compliment for the Free State Department of Education and the university.”

Eunice Qwelane concludes: “We really appreciate what the UFS is doing, because within the department we do not have winter camps that cater for visually or hearing-impaired learners. The university, in collaboration with the Monyetla Bursary Project, is solving an existing problem and bridging a gap in the system. It is an inspiration for these learners, because they can move away from isolation. This is inclusivity at its best and inclusivity in action that the UFS is bringing to us as a department, and we really appreciate that.”

Other services rendered at Winter School 

1) Help learners apply to UFS (feeder programme of matrics for UFS in collaboration with Schools Partnership Project at South Campus)
2) NBT application assistance
3) Funding opportunities, application assistance
4) Job shadowing / internships, partnerships with companies and sponsors
5) South African Sign Language (SASL) interpreting at Computer Lab
6) Simoné Hendricks: SASL Specialist interprets SASL in Maths and Accounting
7) D6 School Communicator — download teaching resources used during Winter School

Winter and Saturday Schools: Facts

  • 2007: Saturday School started with 300 learners and five subjects
  • 2019: This has grown to 1 500 learners and 15 subjects in 2019
  • 2008-2011: Gr 12 learners express a need for further opportunities to improve their skills in key subjects such as Maths, English, Science, and Computer Literacy
  • 2012: Winter School is started by Monyetla Bursary Project, with the aim of linking corporate sponsors with deserving underprivileged learners
  • 2019: Winter School has now grown to be a multi-province drawcard to the UFS South Campus


News Archive

Student Transformation Forum kicks off
2010-08-19

Ms Nida Jooste and Ms Modieyi Mothole
Photo: Lize du Plessis

The establishment of a Broad Student Transformation Forum (BSTF) at the University of the Free State (UFS) was initiated yesterday with a student consultative forum called to determine the agenda and delegations to the BSTF.

The establishment of the BSTF follows the suspension of the functioning of the Student Representative Council (SRC) recently and aims to provide students broadly with the opportunity to reach consensus regarding student governance at the Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

The meeting was chaired by student affairs specialist Prof. Cecil Bodibe and was attended by representatives from student associations from all faculties, representatives of non-faculty student associations and representatives from residences. Commuter students were represented through private student associations.

“The meeting clearly expressed agreement that decisions taken by the BSTF should ensure that the student body and student-life programmes truly reflect our constitutional commitment to building a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society, and that collaboration between students and management in affecting the decisions of the BSTF to achieve this should be prioritised,” Mr Rudi Buys, Dean of Student Affairs, said.

The forum agreed that apart from addressing specific questions pertaining to student governance, the BSTF should also address transformation issues broadly. The forum also agreed that the delegations to the BSTF should ensure that the forum is truly representative of the diverse student population and is inclusive of all stakeholder groups, including international students and students with disability. A proper process to determine the credentials of participating association was requested and will be implemented.

The meeting furthermore expressed the wish that the BSTF should exist only to determine the key changes that should be made to student governance now, so that the postponed SRC elections may continue as soon as possible. The BSTF will thus have a temporary role to enable the student body to reach consensus regarding changes to the SRC constitution.

Meanwhile, an Interim Student Committee (ISC) was appointed, which has the role to ensure the continuation of daily student life programmes and to ensure student representation in management and governance of the university continues during the deliberations of the BSTF. The ISC serves as an interim structure that will dissolve when a new SRC takes office following the outcome of the BSTF and the continuation of the SRC election.

The ISC consists of 15 members who were appointed through a process of nomination of four (4) members each from the faculty-student associations, non-faculty student associations and from residences, and three (3) members from the student executive committees of Kovsie Community Service, the Irawa student newspaper and the Kovsie Rag executive committee.

The ISC elected Ms Modieyi Mothole and Ms Nida Jooste as its chairperson and deputy-chairperson, respectively.
“I’m encouraged with the initiative and response of students to ensure student governance continues, which bears witness to the depth of leadership our student body holds, while the level of engagement by students in the BSTF indicates that the student body seriously consider issues of transformation,” said Mr Buys.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg.)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za  
19 August 2010
 

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