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Student-turned-lecturer among the many new master’s graduates

24 February 2021 | Story NONSINDISO QWABE | Photo Supplied

LEBOm_web read more — Business Management Lecturer, Lebohang Masoabi, who received her MA in Business Management at the February virtual graduation ceremony.

Student-turned-lecturer at the University of Free State (UFS), Lebohang Masoabi, has experienced the best of both worlds. Masoabi, a Business Management Lecturer on the Qwaqwa Campus, received her MA degree with specialisation in Business Management during the ceremony for master’s and doctoral degrees on 24 February 2021.

She obtained both her BA Corporate Marketing and Communication and BAHons in Business Management degrees from the UFS.

I found my passion and remembered why I started

Masoabi knows a little about delays not being denials, because what was initially supposed to be a two-year qualification took her five years to complete. “It’s been a long journey, and I really have been through a lot to get to this point. Along the way, I lost hope and was ready to give up, but I remembered why I started. Being an academic has always been a dream of mine, and I want to be the best at that, so I remembered that this was my dream, something that I love.”

“Passing on the knowledge that I have learned from this very university is incredible. I think we are one of the most awesome institutions, and I say this with confidence – having been a student myself, and now as an employee of this institution. At one point I was on the receiving end and knowledge was transferred to me, and now I am on the other side transferring that very same knowledge. Now that I am here, I want more. I see myself becoming Professor Lebohang Masoabi one day,” she said.

Entrepreneurship education necessary for students

Masoabi’s study focused on the role of entrepreneurship education on the attitudes and intentions of university students. She said when she came up with the topic of the study, one of her concerns was that many students studying entrepreneurship did not know what to do with their degrees beyond university, while students in other streams who went on to start businesses after getting their qualifications, lacked the skill and know-how. Her study found that entrepreneurship education had a positive influence on the intentions of students who had entrepreneurship background.

“Entrepreneurship teaches you to cultivate unique skills and to think out of the box. It creates opportunities, which is necessary in a country like ours. If students are given the skills and background of entrepreneurship – with the right opportunities and confidence they get from us as lecturers – they are able to influence their surroundings,” she said.

Master’s degree a message of hope

Masoabi is currently pursuing her PhD in social entrepreneurship, and said her focus was on becoming an expert in the field. “Part of why I started this journey was because of the hope that was given to me as a student at the UFS, the hope that I can be whatever I want to be. This master’s degree is my message of hope to someone looking at my life.”

News Archive

SRC elections: A first for UFS main campus

2005-08-14

Students on the main campus of the of the University of the Free State (UFS) will this week for the first time vote for the Student Representative Council (SRC) using two voting systems: proportional representation (PR) and first-past-the-post.

According to the Vice-Rector, Student Affairs, Dr Ezekiel Moraka, this year’s elections are a milestone for the UFS as it will be the first time that the main campus SRC will be elected according to the amended SRC constitution, which was approved by the UFS Council in June 2005.

“It is also a major breakthrough for student governance and transformation of the UFS main campus and constitutes a legitimate basis for the democratic participation of all students at the UFS main campus in the governance of the university,” said Dr Moraka.

The amended constitution of the main campus SRC determines that nine of the 18 SRC members must be elected by means of proportional representation and nine on the basis of an individual, first-past-the-post election.

According to Dr Moraka, the introduction of the proportional representation system follows earlier calls by some student formations, notably Sasco and the ANC Youth League, for such a system to be introduced at the UFS main campus in Bloemfontein.

The new main campus SRC constitution is the result of consensus reached during a lengthy negotiation process involving diverse student formations such as Sasco, the ANC Youth League, the Young Communist League, the ACDP, HEREXVII, KovsieAlliance, as well as the democratically elected SRC members of the main campus.

“Independent persons such as Mr Jack Klaas and Mr Kobus van Loggerenberg, a former SRC President, facilitated the negotiation process,” said Dr Moraka.

Students on the main campus in Bloemfontein will vote for a new SRC on Monday 15 August 2005.

SRC elections will also take place on the other two campuses of the UFS, which have their own SRC structures.

Students on the UFS-Vista campus in Bloemfontein will vote for a new SRC on Monday 15 August 2005 and Tuesday 16 August 2005.

At the Qwaqwa campus of the UFS, students will vote for a new SRC on Friday 26 August 2005.

The election processes on all three campuses will be closely monitored by independent electoral bodies.

After the three campuses have elected their respective SRCs a central SRC will be constituted. The central SRC will have 12 members made up of delegates of the three campus SRCs, including the presidents of these three SRCs. The main campus will have five representatives, the Qwaqwa campus will have four representatives and the Vista campus will have three representatives.

Main campus voting schedule:
Monday 15 August 2005 from 07:00-21:00. Ten voting stations will be set up across the campus. The results will be announced on Tuesday 16 August 2005.

Vista campus voting schedule:
Monday 15 August 2005 and Tuesday 16 August 2005 from 09:00-18:00 in the administration building. The results will be announced on Wednesday 17 August 2005.

Qwaqwa campus voting schedule:
Friday 26 August 2005 from 09:00-18:00 in the Senate Hall. If there is no objection to the final results, it will be announced on the same day.

Media release

Issued by:  Lacea Loader
   Media Representative
   Tel: (051) 401-2584
   Cell: 083 645 2454
   E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za

14 August 2005

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