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16 March 2021
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Story Lacea Loader
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All academic activities have been suspended on all UFS campuses from 17 to 22 March 2021. No online/face-to-face lectures/tests/assignments will take place until 23 March 2021, and the full academic programme will resume on this date.
This decision will allow the university management an opportunity to address outstanding matters regarding the admission of senior undergraduate students.
Administrative activities will continue during this time and the campuses are not closed. The university management is aware that sporadic disruptions of activities by small groups are still taking place on the Bloemfontein Campus.
Protection Services, with the assistance of private security, remains on high alert and is closely monitoring the situation on the campuses. The necessary safety and security plan, as well as contingency plans, are in place.
Please monitor the university’s communication platforms for updates on any developments.
It is important to ensure that your cellphone number is updated in order to receive communication via the KovsieApp and SMS.
Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Marketing)
Telephone: +27 51 401 2584 | +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393
University recognised as leading Higher Education Institution for students with disabilities
2013-12-05
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The University of the Free State has been lauded for creating an inclusive environment for persons with disabilities, winning the 2013 National Disability Higher Education Institution Award. The award was presented at the National Disabilities Awards held in Port Elizabeth as part of the celebrations for International Day of People with Disabilities.
The Deputy Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Hendrietta Ipeleng Bogopane-Zulu, commended the university during the event for standing out among South African institutes of higher education. She told the audience the award gives recognition to institutions that demonstrate, through their strategy and policy, the provision of an inclusive environment for persons with disabilities. This is done through the use of technology and accessibility at their premises.
It's not the first time the university received praise from the deputy minister. In 2012 she visited the Bloemfontein Campus as part of a nation-wide roadshow to assess disability compliance and support services at all universities and FET colleges. Impressed with the work of the Unit for Students with Disabilities (USD), she recommended that staff from various higher education institutions visit the campus to gain insight into what they are doing.
Receiving the award on behalf of the university, Hetsie Veitch, Director of the USD, says the award recognises the commitment of the university’s senior leadership, who support the USD in creating a learning environment that is welcoming and accessible to all students.
Rudi Buys, Dean of Student Affairs, says the university is appreciative of what the USD does and says the award is a great achievement for a unit that only started functioning on its own three years ago. “The role of our support unit for Students with Disabilities has since 2010 grown to hold not only a prominent place in our institutional reflection on and implementation of approaches of universal access, but also to stand as leading department in building and bearing witness to the commitment of the UFS to values of universal access.”