Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS partners with local radio stations to address community issues

08 December 2020 | Story Dikgapane Makhetha | Photo Supplied

In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Directorate: Community Engagement (CE) has initiated an innovative platform on which students can continue to engage with university community partners, and at the same time be assessed for their service-learning and community engagement projects.

The E-Engagement approach also meets the University of the Free State’s (UFS) strategic mandate to be a caring, responsive, and engaged university. Coordinated by the UFS CE office, academic staff and students are scheduled to engage with the community partners through radio broadcasts and virtual mode platforms. Informative content that has been researched, prepared, and presented by students in a pre-recorded format, will address significant issues brought about by the surge of COVID-19, creating a breeding ground for some of the societal ills, such as gender-based violence (GBV).

In order to establish sustainable relationships with community radio stations, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with two local community radio stations was signed on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus on 10 October 2020. Prof Puleng LenkaBula, the Vice-Rector: Institutional Change, Student Affairs, and Community Engagement, and Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele, CE Director, participated in the commitment to formalise the relationship between the UFS and the two radio stations, Mosupatsela FM and Motheo FM.

Master’s students from the Department of Psychology have produced and pre-recorded podcasts on community psychology. Their topics covered grief and self-compassion. The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics presented topics on a healthy lifestyle and diet. Fourth-year students from the School of Nursing have engaged new mothers concerning post-natal care. The School of Clinical Medicine has addressed the warning signs of burnout and preventative measures.

Bishop Ramahlele emphasised the importance of sustained relationship, which is expected to create further opportunities for interaction through partnerships in skills training (ICT) and the sharing of resources, including consultations through conference platforms. Prof LenkaBula highlighted the significance of the MOA by applauding the initiative, which has unlimited potential to ensure national development through student engagement, since universities create development sites that can be transferred further into the community.

News Archive

Student leaders must graduate, says UFS Chancellor

2017-06-01

Description:Qwaqwa SRC members graduate Tags: Qwaqwa SRC members graduate

Qwaqwa Campus SRC President, Njabulo Mwali
(centre), flanked by Ntokozo Masiteng (left) and
Ntokozo Thango (right), after their graduation.

In an unprecedented move, the University of the Free State’s Chancellor, Dr Khotso Mokhele, took a special moment to congratulate graduating student leaders during the recent ceremonies held on the Qwaqwa Campus.

"I am very proud that we are a university where the SRC Presidents graduate," he said, referring to both the current and former SRC Presidents, Njabulo Mwali and Paseka Sikhosana, respectively graduating with a Bachelor of Science (Information Technology) and a Bachelor of Education (FET Phase).

"There are many universities where you have professional SRC Presidents, spending years and years on campuses and hardly going through the second year, and then they fight the hardest against exclusions," he said.

Two other members of the current SRC Qwaqwa Campus also graduated during the Humanities ceremony held on Friday 12 May 2017. They are Ntokozo Masiteng (Student Development and Environmental Affairs) and Ntokozo Mbali Thango (Sports Affairs).

Over 550 degrees and certificates were conferred in three ceremonies, which kicked off the University of the Free State’s graduation season. These included five PhDs from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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