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09 March 2022
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Story Dr Cornelius Hagenmeier
Internationalisation professionals attending the Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies National Multiplication Training workshop at the UFS.
Dr Segun Obadire (Univen) and
Dr Cornelius Hagenmeier (UFS), who serve as directors responsible for the international offices at their universities, are part of the training committee. The theme of the training programme is ‘Enabling Internationalisation in Light of the 2020 Policy Framework for Internationalisation of Higher Education in South Africa 2022’; it comprises two training workshops and several virtual engagements. The first training workshop was held at the UFS from 1 to 3 March 2022.
Trendsetters
Mrs Nontlanhla Ntakana and Mr Matome Mokoena are alumni of the biannual DAAD DIES Training Course on Management of Internationalisation (MOI) at the
Leibniz University Hannover in Germany. They seized the opportunity to forge a multiplication training that would impact internationalisation leaders and managers from across South Africa and empower them to leverage the 2020 Policy Framework for Internationalisation of Higher Education in South Africa to advance the internationalisation process at their institutions.
Internationalisation experts
Dr Nico Jooste and Mrs Merle Hodges served as external experts on the training committee. Both are internationally renowned experts in the field and former presidents of the
International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA). Mr Leolyn Jackson (Central University of Technology, CUT) and Prof Lynette Jacobs (UFS) also contributed to the first training workshop.
Structure
This programme commenced in February, with participants engaging in topical readings and submitting their first assignment. First, a virtual workshop introduced participants to the UNIVEN Moodle e-learning platform used for the course. The face-to-face workshop at the UFS will be followed by a second in-person training at the University of Venda in September 2022. Virtual workshops and support of the participants through a dedicated WhatsApp group and other mentorship programmes will ensure the continuity of the training between the face-to-face workshops. Participants who were unable to attend the UFS and UNIVEN workshops in person could participate via a virtual link, thus ensuring that no participant is left behind.
Participants
Twenty participants from eight public higher education institutions were selected by the training committee to participate in the training programme. Two participants from this year’s NMT cohort were also accepted into the DIES MOI course at the Leibniz University Hannover in Germany. They are
Prof Nontokozo Mashiya from the University of Zululand (Unizulu) and Mbali Mkhize from the
Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT). Participants in the first workshop have indicated that they gained a lot from the numerous exercises and activities in the programme. They also mentioned that the programme would change the outlook of internationalisation at their universities in the future.
Out@Kovsies addresses LBTI concerns on campus
2015-02-27
A new office, which will in future be concerned with the human rights issues of the LGBTI community on our campuses, was recently established on our Bloemfontein Campus. Out@Kovsies seeks to address issues of the LGBTI community.
Photo: René-Jean van der Berg
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A new office, which will in future be concerned with the human rights issues of the LGBTI community on the campuses of the University of the Free State (UFS), was recently established on the Bloemfontein Campus.
This office, Out@Kovsies, is a collaborative initiative between the Centre for Health and Wellness and the Human Rights Desk of the UFS’s Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice. They also enjoy the support of the non-governmental organisation Networking Aids Community of South Africa (Nacosa).
“There is a great need on our campus for an environment or office where the Kovsie LGBTI community can feel safe and, for various reasons, can call on for help,” says Zanele Thela, coordinator of the LGBTI programme.
Thela says their first goal is to establish a balanced and LGBTI-friendly environment on the UFS campuses through capacity building, dialogue and the programmes which will be presented throughout the year.
The office provides services to both students and staff.
“The Centre for Health and Wellness and Nacosa will work closely together to resolve social concerns on LGBTI issues,” says Thela.
For more information about Out@Kovsies and their services, contact Ms Zanele Thela at ThelaZ@ufs.ac.za