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21 April 2021
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Story Eugene Seegers
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Photo Supplied
Adelia Chauque graduated with distinction during the April Virtual Graduations hosted by the UFS.
On 20 April 2021, 693
South Campus students graduated during a
virtual ceremony, with 213 of them achieving distinctions. One of these is
Adelia Chauque, the newly elected South Campus SRC member for Policy and Transformation. During her journey as a student, Adelia says that she had numerous obstacles to overcome. For instance, she mentions that her “biggest challenge was completing my tasks with an unstable data connection during the pandemic”. Despite this impediment, Adelia managed to excel in her studies and obtained her qualification with distinction.
Adelia says her family was her biggest support system. “Due to the network problems that I faced my family had to drive me around until we found a stable connection that enabled me to write my tests.” Other support came from the university itself. “I received a lot of support from the academic adviser, Mr Chwaro Shuping,” she says. “Although he couldn't arrange for me to return to campus, he called regularly to ensure that I was still academically active.”
After overcoming these hurdles, Adelia is continuing her academic journey. “I am enthusiastic and eager to learn or to better myself. Due to that, I am furthering my studies by enrolling for a second degree programme in
Administration majoring in Industrial Psychology. I am very ambitious, in the sense that I strive for perfection and consistency with an organised and maintainable future, therefore being part of the SRC enables me to assist students and myself with a secured and comfortable learning environment to achieve our goals at the institution.”
Adelia balances her responsibilities in the SRC portfolio of Policy and Transformation on the South Campus by having a schedule planned that ensures she does not fall behind. She concludes, “During the morning, I attend my prescribed lectures to ensure that I will continue to slay academically. Then I am visible in the SRC office from 12:00 to 16:30. After hours, I contribute my time to study, but I remain available to students who prefer texting.” The university is keen to see the heights to which Adelia will attain in the coming years.
“I am enthusiastic and eager
to learn or to better myself.”
Adelia Chauque, South Campus SRC:
Policy and Transformation.
Sesotho dictionary to be published
2008-04-15
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| Mr Motsamai Motsapi, editor-in-chief. |
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A comprehensive bilingual Sesotho dictionary will be published in the 2008/2009 financial year, thanks to the efforts of the Sesiu sa Sesotho National Lexicography Unit hosted by the University of the Free State (UFS). ”Sesiu” is a Sesotho word meaning ”a reservoir for storing grains”.
According to the Editor-in-Chief of the Sesiu sa Sesotho National Lexicography Unit, Mr Motsamai Motsapi, the unit intends to continuously develop and modernize the Sesotho language so that its speakers are empowered to express themselves through Sesotho without any impediments, in all spheres of life.
The unit is one of the 11 nationally established Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) structures representing South Africa’s 11 official languages.
Their main objective is to preserve and record the various indigenous languages by compiling user-friendly, comprehensive monolingual dictionaries and other lexicographic products, and to develop and promote these languages in all spheres of life.
The Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Pallo Jordan, has lamented the fact that it is virtually impossible to find a bookstore in any of the country’s shopping malls that distributes literature in the indigenous African languages.
The minister said the capacity to both write and read in one’s home language gives real meaning to freedom of expression.
Therefore the publication of this Sesotho dictionary should be seen in the context of the development of the indigenous languages, as encapsulated in both the minister’s vision and that of the Sesiu sa Sesotho National Lexicography Unit.
The pending publication of this dictionary is the culmination of years of hard work invested in this project by the Sesiu sa Sesotho National Lexicography Unit.
“I believe that slowly but surely we have made some strides, as we have produced a Sesotho translation dictionary draft in 2006 covering letters A to Z. We have also built a considerable Sesotho corpus. But we still have a mammoth task ahead of us, because the work of compiling a dictionary does not end”, said Mr Motsapi.
“All Sesotho speakers should be involved, as the language belongs to the speech communities, and not to certain individuals”, he added.
He said given the reality that the UFS is situated in a predominantly Sesotho-speaking province and is part of its general community, it will always benefit the university to be part of the efforts of the South African nation to address the past by ensuring the development of the Sesotho language.
The unit is located in the African Languages Department of the Faculty of the Humanities at the UFS, and collaborates closely with the Language Research and Development Centre (LRDC) at the UFS to further the development of the Sesotho language. It is funded by PanSALB.
Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
15 April 2008
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