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09 April 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Supplied
Tiisetso Mokoena tops the UFS Management Development Programme class of 2020

A tough 2020 did not dampen the spirit of Tiisetso Mokoena. Determined and steadfast, she obtained the highest average (92%) to become the top student in the Management Development Programme (MDP) offered by the University of the Free State (UFS) Business School. Mokoena enrolled for the MDP after receiving a bursary from the Services SETA. This is a remarkable achievement, as not only did Mokoena have fierce competition from an exceptionally large group – COVID-19 presented its own challenges that Mokoena had to face. Mokoena transitioned seamlessly from traditional face-to-face to online learning and excelled at it.

“Ms Mokoena was a very enthusiastic and committed student. She worked extremely hard and was not deterred by the transition from face-to-face to online lectures. Her hard work paid off, with impressive results. We are very proud of her,” says Programme Coordinator, Jo’Anni Deacon.

Mokoena also adds: “It has been a great honour to be part of the Higher Certificate Management Development Programme (MDP), and I thank my employer, Services SETA, and the UFS Business School for making it all possible.”
“My overall experience of the programme was impressive. I came into it with an expectation to better myself in my career; I believe that I will achieve this, as I was presented with tools and techniques that will help me grow professionally. As I went through the programme, I developed a sense of ambition and my strategic thinking progressed. I learned a lot about the basics of an everyday business world as we went through different modules, and there were a lot of ‘aha’ moments,” Mokoena adds.

“The UFS Business School is phenomenal, the academic support we as students received throughout the programme was amazing – we were treated with such dignity. The staff took time and effort to assist us with the utmost care and professionalism,” says Mokoena about her experience in the UFS Business School. 

About the UFS Business School and the Higher Certificate in Management Development

The Business School within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences has established itself as a leader in South Africa with the provision of the Higher Certificate in Management Development. A dynamic supplement to this spectrum of management programmes on offer is an excellent Higher Certificate in Management Development (MDP). The MDP emphasises leadership development, broadens insight through exposure to the most important management disciplines, and integrates it into a total management approach. This tailor-made qualification has been designed to assist institutions, managers, and managers-to-be in both the private and public sectors.

News Archive

Renowned Sign Language expert heads UFS department
2009-11-27

 Mr Philemon Akach

The Department of Afro-asiatic Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice in the Faculty of the Humanities at the University of the Free State recently appointed Mr Philemon Akach as its new chairperson.

Mr Akach, hitherto a senior lecturer in the department, succeeds Prof Annelie Lotriet who left the university earlier this year after having been elected to serve in the national parliament by the Democratic Alliance.

“To head the entire department has never crossed my mind because I think I am discipline oriented,” he said.

He said the confidence that his colleagues have in him gives him the impetus to succeed. “It gives me the opportunity to rethink my position within the department and the university at large,” he said.

However, his Sign Language students will be glad to know that he will not be lost to them as the result of this new responsibility.

“I cannot neglect Sign Language,” he stressed. “I have to teach because the academic side of Sign Language has to be maintained within the university, as well as nationally and internationally. I just have to divide my time between the administration of Sign Language and the teaching and research application in my discipline (Sign Language).”

To ease the load that comes with his new responsibility and the added pressure of being the only Sign Language lecturer, he said they have contracted former students to teach some courses in Sign Language.

“We have to keep in place the disciplines that keep this department’s name going,” he said.

A major challenge facing his department, according to Mr Akach, is getting more students enrolled in the disciplines offered by the department.

“To get students we need to convince them that we are the best, and that is not just a challenge for me but for the department and the lecturers in the department teaching those disciplines.”

He said he will strive for excellence in the department as part of the overall vision of the university.

“We need to get research output while not neglecting the teaching part. It is research that brings in new knowledge and it is through research that scholars expose themselves to the outside world, and by doing that they actually put the name of this university on the international map,” he said.

Mr Akach will serve in this position for the next three years.

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  
26 November 2009
 

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