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10 July 2020 | Story Thabo Kessah | Photo Charl Devenish
The handover was done by Thomas September, ABSA Head Regional Coverage: Relationship Banking. With him are a student, Emily Ndlovu, Ntokozo Nkabinde (Institutional Advancement) and Tshenolo Thibeletsa (ICT).

“I am still in disbelief. Before I had this laptop, I was borrowing my cousin's laptop to do my academic tasks.”

These are the words of final-year Biochemistry and Food Science student, Xoliswa Khumalo, one of 200 students who recently became recipients of a generous donation of laptops from ABSA. In its endeavour to make a contribution towards saving the 2020 academic year, ABSA identified deserving students.

Xoliswa continued: “This laptop will help me type my assignments, since all of them need to be typed. I will also be able to view my slides and watch videos of my lectures. Now I do not have to wait for my cousin to watch movies. I am free to use mine for as long as I want.”

Another recipient is Itumeleng Katjedi, a second-year Economics student. “Thank you very much for the contribution to making my education journey much easier and simpler. I will be sure to strive to get the best grades,” she said.

“The University of the Free State (UFS) wishes to express its sincere appreciation to ABSA for investing in the future of those students who have little or no financial means to complete their studies remotely.  Much has changed and many lives are directly and indirectly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, in a letter to ABSA’s Dr Reaan Immelman, Head: Education Delivery Citizenship.  

“These are challenging times, not only for our country, but also for higher education institutions, as we work towards ensuring that the academic year is completed without any of our students being left behind.  The UFS is deeply thankful for the 200 laptops, which will make an immeasurable contribution to alleviating inequalities between the different student cohorts.  For these students, this gesture will not only advance their academic success; it will position them for the future world of work. ABSA will always be remembered as the co-creator of their future,” he adds in the letter.

Students from across the length and breadth of South Africa continue to receive their laptops via courier services, and those near the campuses are able to collect them while observing the COVID-19 regulations.

News Archive

Our Abe Bailey scholars are packing for the UK
2011-08-16

 

Nida Jooste and Ryan Lamb
Photo: Earl Coetzee

Academic excellence and strong leadership has become synonymous with our university, as our two Rhodes scholars for 2011, and the recent announcement of our two Abe Bailey scholars from the UFS have shown.

Nida Jooste and Ryan Lamb are two of the proud recipients of Abe Bailey Travel Bursaries and will be heading off to the United Kingdom on 26 August 2011, to visit several universities in England and Scotland. These two were chosen from hundreds of UFS applicants and will join Abe Bailey bursary holders from the rest of the country.

Both students are academic achievers, but also excel in other fields. This is what set them apart from the rest of the applicants for the bursaries.

Ryan (23), a Medical Physics honours student at our Faculty of Health Sciences, received the Senate Medal for the best bachelor’s degree student at the UFS. He was one of a hundred students at the Brightest Young Minds Summit this year and was one of the 2008 delegates to the World Youth Forum, hosted by the International Association for Poetry and Solidarity in Italy.

This young man is the founder of a group called Poets Anonymous, which provides a platform where poets, artists and dancers in Bloemfontein can express themselves.

Nida (21) is a very familiar face on our Bloemfontein Campus, as she served as the Deputy Chairperson of the Interim Student Council for the past year.

This fourth-year LL.B. student says she has known about the Abe Bailey bursary since her first year, but had to wait to apply, since the scholarship is only open to final-year students and junior lecturers. She applied last year, but did not even make it to the short list for candidates.

“I realise now that I was not involved enough then. Luckily I became much more involved in campus activities during the past year and also improved my academic performance greatly,” she says.

Nida and Ryan both hope to use the opportunity to learn new approaches to solving problems. Ryan says he is looking forward to the opportunity to network with other bursary holders and to share experiences with them, before returning to the UFS to implement what he had learned.

Nida says she also hopes to see how universities in First-World Countries operate, in order to apply that knowledge when she returns to the UFS.

 

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