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
24 January 2022 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Supplied
Dr Bekithemba Dube at Appalachian State University.
A visit to the Appalachian State University in North Carolina has led to significant contribution towards international intellectual diversity, including broadening understanding of the world, and new conversations around global scholarship. Following the visit of Dr Bekithemba Dube, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education on the Qwaqwa Campus, to the university as part of the staff exchange programme, the UFS will strengthen its partnership with the Appalachian State University through the production of globally relevant graduates and knowledge. This move, according to Dr Dube, is aimed at advancing the agenda of decoloniality studies on a global scale.

This will include doctoral students from the Appalachian State University spending a semester on the Qwaqwa Campus from 2023. Furthermore, an exciting book project titled ‘Curriculum beyond Borders’ is also in the pipeline, and Dr Dube will himself be a regular visitor to the Reich College of Education, teaching on African education and decoloniality studies.
Dr Dube, who left for North Carolina in August 2021, said his time at the Appalachian State University was very fruitful. He was also the keynote speaker at the university’s doctoral symposium, where he talked about ‘Decoloniality: A Quest for Identity in Knowledge Production’ – from a Global South perspective.

“It was my first time travelling for this type of engagement; it’s been a once in a lifetime experience for me, and I would not be able to substitute it with anything. Students raised the need to learn more about African education, which is something that was not there before.”

He will be teaching undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students in North Carolina from 2022 onwards.

“Being at the university gave me the opportunity to interact with international scholars and showcase African scholarship as an ideal to reinvent a better world beyond Eurocentric modernity. As Africans, we need to announce our presence in scholarship with boldness and courage to reformulate an Africa capable of solving world problems. African scholarship is just as good and can compete in the global space,” Dr Dube said.

Prof Jesse Lutabingwa, Associate Vice-Chancellor for International Education and Development at the Appalachian State University, said Dr Dube’s presence at AppState helped to deepen the institutional relationship between the two universities.  “I am so pleased with the work that Beki did while at AppState, and how he has engaged his colleagues at the UFS. He was a model for the kind of engagement I would like to see in our international visiting scholars from our global partners when they are at AppState. He was not greedy but worked hard to spread the wealth and share opportunities. I can confidently say that both the UFS and AppState are seeing the return on the investment we made in Beki.”

News Archive

The state of HIV/AIDS at the UFS
2010-05-11

“The University of the Free State (UFS) remains concerned about the threat of HIV/AIDS and will not become complacent in its efforts to combat HIV/AIDS by preventing new infections”, states Ms Estelle Heideman, Manager of the Kovsies HIV/AIDS Centre at the UFS.

She was responding to the results of a study that was done at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 2008. The survey was initiated by Higher Education AIDS (HEAIDS) to establish the knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and practices (KABP) related to HIV and AIDS and to measure the HIV prevalence levels among staff and students. The primary aim of this research was to develop estimates for the sector.

The study populations consisted of students and employees from 21 HEIs in South Africa where contact teaching occurs. For the purpose of the cross-sectional study an ‘anonymous HIV survey with informed consent’ was used. The study comprised an HIV prevalence study, KABP survey, a qualitative study, and a risk assessment.

Each HEI was stratified by campus and faculty, whereupon clusters of students and staff were randomly selected. Self-administered questionnaires were used to obtain demographic, socio-economic and behavioural data. The HIV status of participants was determined by laboratory testing of dry blood spots obtained by finger pricks. The qualitative study consisted of focus group discussions and key informant interviews at each HEI.

Ethical approval was provided by the UFS Ethics Committee. Participation in all research was voluntary and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Fieldwork for the study was conducted between September 2008 and February 2009.

A total of 1 004 people participated at the UFS, including the Main and the Qwaqwa campuses, comprising 659 students, 85 academic staff and 256 administration/service staff. The overall response rate was 75,6%.

The main findings of the study were:

HIV prevalence among students was 3,5%, 0% among academics, 1,3% among administrative staff, and 12,4% among service staff. “This might not be a true reflection of the actual prevalence of HIV at the UFS, as the sample was relatively small,” said Heideman. However, she went on to say that if we really want to show our commitment towards fighting this disease at our institution a number of problem areas should be addressed:

  • Around half of all students under the age of 20 have had sex before and this increased to almost three-quarters of students older than 20.

     
  • The majority of staff and a third of students had ever been tested for HIV.

     
  • More than 50% of students drink more than once per week and 44% of students reported being drunk in the past month. Qualitative data suggests that binge drinking over weekends and at campus ‘bashes’ is an area of concern.

Recommendations of the study:

  • Emphasis should be on increased knowledge of sexual risk behaviours, in particular those involving a high turnover of sexual partners and multiple sexual partnerships. Among students, emphasis should further be placed on staying HIV negative throughout university study.

     
  • The distribution of condoms on all campuses should be expanded, systematised and monitored. If resistance is encountered, attempts should be made to engage and educate dissenting institutional members about the importance of condom use in HIV prevention.

     
  • The relationship between alcohol misuse and pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV and AIDS needs to be made known, and there should be a drive to curb high levels of student drinking, promote non-alcohol oriented forms of recreation, and improve regulation of alcohol consumption at university-sponsored “bashes”.

     
  • There is need to reach out to students and staff who have undergone HIV testing and who know their HIV status, but do not access or benefit from support services. Because many HIV-positive students and staff are not receiving any kind of support, resources should be directed towards the development of HIV care services, including support groups.

Says Heideman, “If we really want to prove that we are serious about an HIV/AIDS-free campus, these results are a good starting point. It definitely provides us with a strong basis from which to work.” Since the study was done in 2008 the UFS has committed itself to a more comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS. The current proposed ‘HIV/AIDS Institutional response and strategic plan’, builds and expands on work that has been done before, the lessons learned from previous interventions, and a thorough study of good practices at other universities.

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