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19 July 2019 | Story Eloise Calitz | Photo Charl Devenish
Human Rights ambassadors programme
Mihle Tyatyaza and Musa Makupu are two of the human rights ambassadors.
Gernus Terblanche is a PHD student in Virology; he is currently the prime of the Imperium city residence and a proud human-rights ambassador. What he values most about this role, is the opportunity to have open and honest conversations about human-rights issues.

Students in residences are often confronted with human-rights issues; this initiative has created a platform for open dialogue on critical issues that did not exist in the past. Ambassadors play a critical role in ensuring that the rights of resident students are not infringed. “I have learned a lot about the planning of events and leadership, and my knowledge of human rights has increased significantly,” says Terblanche.

The programme

The Human Rights Ambassadors programme was launched in 2016 under the Advocacy division of the Free State Centre for Human Rights. The main objectives of the programme are to establish and strengthen a culture of human rights within all the UFS residences. This is based on the belief that the dignity of all must be respected and protected, as stated in the South African Constitution. The long-term objective is to expand the service to the Qwaqwa Campus and to include and serve communities surrounding all three UFS campuses.

How do you become an ambassador?
 
Each residence appoints a human-rights ambassador. The ambassador has to ensure that the values and practices of the residence respects the human rights of all. Ambassadors are required to undertake awareness-raising activities to achieve these goals. Mihle Tyatyaza and Mosa Makupu are two of the ambassadors who benefit from this programme. 

Tyatyaza, a BA Social Science undergraduate and the human-rights representative for House Veritas, says the exposure he gained though engagement with other students on this platform will assist him with his studies and future career. He is excited about the fact that students now have the opportunity to share their experiences and thereby learn more about human rights. 

Makupu, a BSc Mathematical Statistics undergraduate and the human rights representative for House Madelief, believes that she has gained a better understanding of the importance of human rights through this programme, as well as the lack of knowledge most students have. This has guided her to educate other students. What she experienced, is that some students do not even realise that their basic rights are violated; now she can make a difference through education and regular engagements with resident students. 

Scope of awareness activities

Activities include dialogue sessions, seminars, and theatrical productions. These activities are grouped within various themes, including sexual harassment, gender-based violence, LGBTIQ rights, and the right to academic privacy. The 2019 theme for awareness-raising activities is Dignity. 

Importance of collaboration

The programme functions in close collaboration with the provincial offices of the South African Human Rights Commission, the Commission for Gender Equality, and the UFS Office of Gender and Sexual Equity. Together with the Residence Committees and the Values and Strategies Committees of each residence, the ambassadors strive to uphold the values of respect and inclusion in the residence.

Annelie de Man, Coordinator: Advocacy Division in the Free State Centre for Human Rights, says the benefits of the programme are evident in the progress that has been made in terms of creating awareness among resident students. What also sparked this awareness, was the successful implementation of various activities by the ambassadors, especially on 21 March – Human Rights Day. The programme is closely managed, and each ambassador submits bi-annual reports to track trends, activities, and learnings. One of the commendable achievements this year was the collaboration between the ambassadors and the residence committees that supported the drive for equality and non-discrimination.  

Upcoming initiatives

Date: 23 July 2019 
Venue: Albert Wessels Auditorium
Theme: The freedom of expression showcase

The programme is coordinated by the ambassadors of House NJ van der Merwe, House Villa Bravado, and House Welwitschia. This event will provide students with a platform to socialise and discuss issues around human rights.

Date: 23 August 2019
Theme: Cultural showcase ‘Now we are Free’.  

Ambassadors from all the residences on campus are hosting a culture showcase. The focus of this event is based on our 2019 theme, ‘Dignity’ and freedom of expression. 

News Archive

Unique programme for next generation of professors launched
2010-11-19

Some of the scholars taking part in the Vice-Chancellor's Prestige Young Scholars Programme are, from the left: Dr Andréhette Verster, Ms Liezel Kotzé and Dr Nthabeleng Rammile.
Photo: Stephen Collett

The University of the Free State (UFS) has launched a programme that will provide an accelerated pathway to 25 young scholars with recent PhDs and teach them how to become professors through intensive local and international mentorship, research support and academic training.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Prestige Programme for Young Scholars focuses on the next generation of top researchers in South Africa who will fill the gap left by retiring academics. It will also add significantly to the diversity of the professoriate at the UFS.

No other university in the country has a programme of such scale and intensity for building excellence and diversity through young scholars.

“The programme is highly selective and limited to the most promising young scholars at the university. It will also contribute towards establishing an international reputation for the university and positioning the UFS as one of the best research institutions in the country,” said Prof. Neil Roos, Director of the Postgraduate School at the UFS. He will manage the programme together with Prof. Jackie du Toit, also from the university.

Running for the next three years, the programme will put the 25 scholars through an intensive programme of academic and scholarship support which includes advanced theoretical and methodological training and exposure to leading international scholars in their fields. They will also be exposed to intensive reading and writing programmes, high-level seminar and conference participation and presentation, accelerated publication schedules and personal mentoring and advising plans.

“Scholarship will only grow if there is a critical mass – and this is what we want to achieve at the UFS. We want to create a pool of young scholars, develop and connect them with international scholars and place them at top universities in the world where they can be mentored by the best in their respective fields,” said Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS at the launch of the programme.

According to Prof. Jansen, the UFS aims to draw public intellectuals and A-rated scientists to the campus and make academic work attractive to academics at the university and countrywide.

The group of scholars has a good academic record, with 69% of them completing their PhDs within the last five years. The group is well represented in terms of race and gender; the majority are in the 26 to 30-year age group and specialisations include the social sciences (including education, the humanities and arts) as well as the natural sciences.

“Scholarship develops over time. We are proud and extremely honoured to be selected for this prestigious programme. With this scholarship we acknowledge the responsibility of building the UFS and of extending our knowledge across disciplines. We will establish a scholarly advancement for our university that will enable it to compete with the best in the world,” said Dr Nalize Marais, one of the prestige scholars.

The launch was also attended by members of the university’s International Advisory Council (IAC). This council, which visited the university the past week to advise the leadership on its future positioning strategies, especially in relation to its international aspiration to become a place of scholarship and service among the leading universities in the world, congratulated the UFS on this groundbreaking programme.

“You are lucky to have a leadership that dares to dream and that can act the dream. You are fortunate that your leadership wants to take this university forward and explore new horizons,” said Prof. Aki Saweyrr, former Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities in Ghana and member of the IAC.

Ending the evening’s programme was Dr Gansen Pillay, Vice-President of the National Research Foundation. Prof. Gansen also congratulated the UFS on its visionary and inspirational leadership. “It is a privilege to make a life-changing contribution to research in the world. Universities must take ownership of their own development – which is exactly what the UFS is doing. And, although this is a truly South African programme, it could have an impact on the rest of the world,” he said.
 

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