Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Categories
UFS News Media Release Research
Years
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Previous Archive
17 July 2020 | Story Nitha Ramnath | Photo iStock
The UFS initiated a new community engagement programme to help communities take charge of their lives.
The University of the Free State (UFS) is launching a new community engagement programme to help communities take charge of their lives during and after the national lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The E-Community Engagement Programme will run for the duration of the lockdown to ensure that the UFS continues to serve all people. This programme is one of more than 120 community development programmes and projects that the UFS is involved with this year.

Rev Billyboy Ramahlele, Director: Community Engagement, says this strategy is the result of the Institutional Transformation Plan, which seeks to deepen the university’s commitment towards the betterment of our communities by creating sustainable partnerships for development. “This programme is dedicated to assisting communities to take charge of their lives during and after this pandemic and will focus on sustainable livelihoods and family support”, he says.

With these community development programmes and projects, about 3 000 UFS students spend at least 127 000 hours per year engaging in 73 service-learning modules. This excludes the clinical work done by our medical and education students in the community through community-based education and inter-professional learning. The university’s 22 student volunteer associations play an important role in community development projects. Our academics and researchers contribute their intellectual resources through their involvement, teaching, and research in different aspects of community life.

The E-Community Engagement Programme refers to an alternative online/virtual community engagement platform aimed at facilitating continuously negotiated collaborations and partnerships between the UFS and the interest groups that it interacts with, aimed at building and exchanging the knowledge, skills, expertise, and resources required to develop and sustain society. Such alternative engagement stems from adapting physical face-to-face (f2f) community engagement to an e-environment. As a result of the uncertain state of restricted f2f engagement during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus of participation, dialogue, engaged learning, and teaching by university staff and students is on citizens actively participating in the development of their own lives and that of their surrounding communities.

Details of the E-Community Engagement Programme will soon be published on the UFS website, and will be presented on radio and online in partnership with Motheo FM, Mosupatsela FM, Kovsie FM, Mangaung Municipality, Towers of Hope, Princess Gabo Foundation, Rock Foundation, Bloemshelter, and all our faculties.


News Archive

UFS more accessible for persons with disabilities
2010-04-22

After millions of rands have already been spent on making its buildings more accessible to people with disabilities, the University of the Free State (UFS) is embarking on a new drive to make the Main Campus more user-friendly for its students and staff with disabilities.

Recently the UFS completed a report with recommendations to upgrade more of its buildings in this regard.

The university is already a leader with regard to its services to students with disabilities and is drawing students from all over the country. The Unit for Students with Disabilities (USD) at the UFS offers support to approximately 120 students.

According to Prof. Niel Viljoen, Vice-Rector: Operations, it remains an ongoing process that should constantly be reviewed. Following a prioritised strategic plan, the UFS is upgrading the bathrooms and elevators in its buildings as well as the ramps and parking spaces.

In the new drive a number of future projects have been identified to make the buildings as well as the Main Campus more accessible and user-friendly for persons with disabilities:

Ramps will be added at the entrances to four more buildings. The entrances to the Geology and Geography Buildings will also be made more accessible. An access ramp from the parking area to the pavement will also be added at the CR de Wet Building (housing the Departments of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy).

To make classrooms on higher levels accessible, the UFS is looking into the possibility of installing elevators in four more buildings. The university is also investigating the possibility of stair lifts in two of its buildings. Existing elevators on campus will also be upgraded.

More allocated parking spaces for persons in wheelchairs will also be provided closer to buildings.

Accessible bathrooms for persons with disabilities will be added in five more buildings on campus.

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za  
22 April 2010

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