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13 May 2019 | Story Selloane Mile | Photo Tsepo Moeketsi
Qwaqwa Campus Open Day
Colourful learners from near and far descended on the Qwaqwa Campus for this year’s Open Day.
The 2019 University of the Free State Open Day on the Qwaqwa Campus was a colourful affair, attended by learners from high schools in and around Qwaqwa. Leaners were treated to information tables that saw a display of activities, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the campus, dubbed ‘the education hub in the mountains’. The first session began with an excited crowd of mainly Grade 12s receiving words of encouragement from the Campus Principal, Dr Martin Mandew, who extended a word of welcome and gratitude to the teachers for responding to their call. He also encouraged learners to apply as early as possible for the 2020 academic year, as space in tertiary institutions is limited.
 
“Your future is here; Qwaqwa Campus is the place to be,” he reassured the learners. He concluded by saying, “Ours is a smart campus, well-resourced with information and communication technology facilities, among many other features”. 

Learners explore campus

In the second session, learners explored the campus to learn more about what is being offered. They were met by warm and welcoming smiles from representatives of all the faculties and departments. Support services sharing information with potential students included Housing and Residence Affairs, the Student Representative Council (SRC), Student Life, and KovsieSport. Pretty Nzong, a learner from the Seotlong Agricultural and Hotel School, said she has learnt a lot, especially from the faculties, as she did not know what she wanted to study next year. “My highlight of the day was the inspiration I drew from the Assistant Deans and Campus Management in their academic regalia. I hope one day I will ascend that very stage as a graduate,” she said. Her friend, Lebohang Motsoeneng, said the experience gave her a sense of direction on the career path she wants to follow, and this experience re-ignited her spark to become a natural scientist.

Student Life

Although academy was the centre of attention on the day, learners also experienced ‘the feeling’ said to be only known by Kovsies, as they indulged in the essence of student life, including sports, student leadership, counselling services, and career guidance.
 
A sports fanatic, Moleleki Motaung from Mmathabo Secondary School, alluded to his experience as ‘exciting’. “I have been struggling to get exposure, and I believe this campus will afford me an opportunity to showcase my talent on the football field.”  Kamohelo Pholohang, also from Mmathabo Secondary, said the experience was enlightening, as it dealt with his indecisiveness on the course of study that he wants to pursue next year. Both learners emphasised that they are definitely coming to study here next year; both will be studying for a Bachelor of Education degree, with the former reiterating that he will also be the campus football star!

News Archive

Prof Oriel Thekisoe receives prestigious TW Kambule NRF-NSTF Award
2014-07-07

 Prof Oriel Thekisoe
Photo: Sonia Small
Prof Oriel Thekisoe from the UFS was named recipient of the prestigious TW Kambule NRF-NSTF Award. The announcement was made during the 16th Annual NSTF-BHP Billiton 2013/2014 Awards Gala Dinner held in Johannesburg on Thursday 3 July 2014.

Prof Thekisoe is an Associate Professor in the university's Department of Zoology and Entomology at the Qwaqwa Campus.

He has been recognised as an emerging researcher for his outstanding contribution to Science, Engineering and Technology (SET).

"It is a great honour for the university to learn that Prof Thekisoe has won the award of the National Science and Technology Forum. This is a very competitive award and speaks of the quality and depth of talent at the UFS as we prepare the next generation of scientists and scholars,” said Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS, Prof Jonathan Jansen.

"I hope that the award will inspire our current science students to work harder in pursuing the discovery of new methods and techniques which will improve our livelihoods,” Prof Thekisoe said after receiving the award from the Minister of Science and Technology, Ms Naledi Pandor. “I am grateful to the Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Prof Neil Heideman, for believing in me. I am also grateful to my former lecturers, Profs Peter Mbati, who is now the Rector of the University of Venda, and Noboru Inoue, from Japan’s Obihiro University, for grooming and inspiring the scientist in me.”

"Prof Thekisoe is at the forefront of the research development activities at the Qwaqwa Campus,” said Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research at the UFS. “He serves as a mentor to many of the younger scholars on the campus. As one of the Vice-Chancellor's Prestige Scholars at the university, he has the potential to become one of the most prominent researchers in his field in the country."

The Vice-Chancellor’s Prestige Programme (PSP) supports the accelerated scholarship of junior UFS researchers in the first five years after obtaining their PhDs. The prestige scholars participate in an intensive programme of support that includes international placement and intensive mentorship.

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