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26 January 2022 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Charl Devenish
The Free State once again excelled in the NSC matric results. Pictured here is a broadcast of a celebratory event held by the FSDoE on the UFS South Campus in 2021 for the matric class of 2020.

The Free State has claimed the top spot in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination results for the third consecutive year, with a pass rate of 85,7% in 2021. 

“On behalf of the executive management, staff, and students of the University of the Free State (UFS), I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to you and your executive team on the Free State being the top-achieving province,” Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, wrote in a congratulatory letter to Dr Tate Makgoe, MEC for Education in the Free State. 

“The UFS is proud to be associated with the Free State Department of Education and we salute you and your team for the many initiatives in schools across the province, which have contributed to the outstanding matric results this year,” Prof Petersen said. 

The UFS will welcome several first-year students on its three campuses in February – many of whom hail from schools in the Free State. The 2021 NSC results were released on 20 January 2022. 
 
Several UFS-led interventions thrive to make impactful change 

The UFS is leading several projects with the Department of Education to address education-related problems in the province. The UFS, through its South Campus, presents the In-Service (InSET) programme, the Internet Broadcast Project (IBP), and the Schools Partnership Project. “It is projects such as these that make a huge difference in the lives of many learners and teachers in our province and that have given so many schools the opportunity to rise to the occasion,” Prof Petersen said. 

The IBP supports learners from 80 schools, with lessons for learners in Grades 8 to 12 being transmitted to three centres across the Free State on a daily basis. Electronic access to learning material is also made possible through the IBP. The Schools Partnership Project, as part of the Social Responsibility Project at the UFS, is focused on the efficacy and quality of school management, subject teaching, and learning development. Well-trained mentors visit project schools on a daily basis, sharing knowledge, materials, and demonstrating the use of technology in an effort to improve the standard of teaching. 

News Archive

Launch of the Africa office of the IIDE
2006-05-25

Attending the launch of the Africa office of the IIDE were from the left Prof Sytse Strijbos (Chairperson of IIDE Europe), Rev Kiepie Jaftha (Chairperson of the IIDE in Africa’s Board of Directors and Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS) and Prof Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS).

 

Attending the launch were from the left Prof Lucius Botes (Director: Centre of Development Support at the UFS), Dr Samuel Kareithi (Head: Community Development at the Cornerstone Christian College, Cape Town), Rev Kiepie Jaftha (Chairperson of the IIDE in Africa’s Board of Directors and Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS), Prof Sytse Strijbos (Chairperson of IIDE Europe) and Dr Ezekiel Moraka (Vice-Rector:  Student Affairs at the UFS).

Africa office of IIDE launched on UFS main campus 

The Africa office of the International Institute for Development and Ethics (IIDE) was today (26 May 2006) launched on the Main Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein.

“The IIDE specialises in the studying and research of general questions of developmental theory and practices and provides services and support in education, strategic planning, policy formulation, advocacy and capacity building of development agencies,” said Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chairperson of the IIDE in Africa’s Board of Directors and Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS.

According to Rev Jaftha the IIDE in Africa will focus on the conceptual and normative aspects of developmental processes in Sub-Saharan Africa.  “We want to foster local and international partnerships with various relevant role-players in civil society, the private sector and public sector in the SACD region and later expand our operations to the rest of Africa,” said Rev Jaftha.

The IIDE in Africa cooperates with a similar foundation in Europe, functioning as the IIDE Europe.  This institute was founded in 2003 and its head office is situated in the Netherlands.  The UFS is a funder of the IIDE in Africa together with the Paul Foundation and private sponsors from the Netherlands.

“We have already started with various projects which are in various stages of implementation,” said Rev Jaftha.  Some of these projects include, among others, the broadening of the master’s degree in Christian Studies of Science and Society (MACSSS) which is currently housed at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam to tertiary institutions in South Africa such as the UFS, the University of Stellenbosch and the Potchefstroom Campus of the Northwest University.

“Another project is an investigation into the possibility of initiating a broad development initiative in the poverty stricken Qwaqwa area.  This initiative will attempt to concentrate on issues like the training and empowerment of prospective entrepreneurs in the region, the identification of prospective entrepreneurs for the rendering of development support and the monitoring of the impact of information and communication technology on local communities during the implementation of sustainable development initiatives,” said Rev Jaftha.

“The establishment of the Africa office of the IIDE on the UFS Main Campus is an indication of one of the aims of the UFS to play a role in South Africa and Africa.  It also signifies our aim to contribute meaningfully to research and development and to establish links between the academe and practice,” said Rev Jaftha. 

 

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:   (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
26 May 2006

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