Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
03 January 2020
|
Story Xolisa Mnukwa
|
Photo Supplied
The UFS Bloemfontein Campus, South Campus, and Qwaqwa Campus choirs are student-centred choirs functioning under the Student Affairs’ Arts, Culture and Dialogue office.
It has been a noteworthy year for the University of the Free State (UFS) Choir, establishing itself on the student/university choir scene. The choir, based on the Bloemfontein Campus, represented the UFS at the bi-annual KUESTA choir festival earlier this year, showcasing its musical talent. The choir shared a stage with other university choirs from around the country.
The UFS (Bloemfontein Campus) Choir is a 42-member ensemble of students; the other two choirs, based on the South and Qwaqwa campuses, consist of 40 and 62 members respectively. The choirs are administered and managed by the Division of Student Affairs’ Arts, Culture and Dialogue Office. In addition to Kovsie culture, the choirs strive to have a varied repertoire of inclusive music, with the UFS BFN Campus choir performing a diversity of songs in English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, and Sesotho.
The new South Campus choir was established in 2018 and is led by choir director, Bonisile Gcisa, who specialises in choral music. This leg of the choir will therefore perform many of his works, but will also include some of the Bloemfontein choir’s set lists, since most of the choir members will be auditioning in 2021 for the Bfn choir when they change campuses.
The Qwaqwa Campus choir will lean more towards a choral genre under the direction of Sipho Khumalo.
The UFS Bloemfontein Campus choir was officially re-established under the leadership of choir conductor Leona Geldenhuys in March 2018, and has performed at several events, including the Rector’s Concert, the annual KUESTA choir convention, and the Bloemfontein Choir invitational. The group has also held a number of public performances on the Thakaneng Bridge at the UFS Bloemfontein Campus.
“Part of the UFS Student Affairs’ objective is to create an inclusive and a socially just student lived experience, and that is the mandate the choirs will also adopt. We hope to create an experience that not only enhances our students’ singing abilities, but also contribute to a more inclusive university experience.” – Angelo Mockie – Director: UFS Student Affairs Arts, Culture and Dialogue office.
“Rest well, be safe, and return rejuvenated,” were his parting words to students for the festive season.
Commonwealth research publication on teacher qualifications launched
2010-03-15
 |
At the launch were, from the left: Mr Samuel Isaacs, CEO: SAQA; Dr Louis van der Westhuizen, Quality Assurance Manager: Planning Unit, UFS; Dr Roli Degazon-Johnson, Education Advisor: Commonwealth Secretariat, United Kingdom; Prof. Jansen; Ms Simoné de Cormarmond, Chairperson: Commonwealth Foundation, and Dr Keevy.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs |
The 5th Annual Commonwealth Teacher Research Symposium, which is taking place at the University of the Free State (UFS) this week, was formally opened with the launch of the Commonwealth publication, A Fair Trade For Teachers, at the Willows Restaurant just outside Bloemfontein.
The publication, co-authored by Prof. Jonathan Jansen, the Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, and Dr James Keevy, Director of International Liaison at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), offers a rich one-stop resource point for a wide range of data that policy makers in the participating Commonwealth nations can tap in to formulate or improve policies that deal with teacher qualifications.
The aim is to develop a pan-Commonwealth teacher qualifications comparability table to provide the basis for pathways for the recognition of qualifications of teachers when they move across borders.
This research report is located within the cross-section of two current discourses: one being the international migration of highly skilled labour, specifically teachers, and the other being the cross-border provisioning of education and training.
The research is limited to primary and secondary teacher qualifications offered within 35 Commonwealth countries. |