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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.
UFS PhD scholar honoured by Free State MEC of Education
2016-12-12
Thabo Sithole was awarded a National Teaching Award
for excellence in teaching Physical Sciences.
Photo: Aneka van der Merwe
Thabo Sithole, a PhD student at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Faculty of Education, was recently awarded a prestigious award during the provincial National Teaching Awards in November at which he was celebrated along with other teachers from the Free State.
Sithole was awarded for excellence in teaching Physical Sciences, using a variety of strategies to appeal to the different abilities of learners.
He holds a BSc Medical Microbiology, BSc Chemistry, BCom Economics, BSc Hons in Chemistry, BCom Hons in Economics and MA in Mathematics. To qualify to become an educator, he completed his Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at UFS.
Apart from teaching, Sithole assists youths confronted with substance abuse and was instrumental in getting funding to assist young people in Jacobsdal. The Albertina Sisulu Youth Recreation Centre in the town now receives annual funding from the Free State Department of Social Development.
Through the National Teaching Awards, the Department of Basic Education acknowledges the extraordinary efforts of teachers, often achieved under very difficult conditions and in service to children from underprivileged families and economically depressed communities.
Leadership is a crucial element to all schools functioning at optimum with all teachers, learners and parents moving forward with a common vision for the improvement of the school.
Sithole’s work also focuses on clustering childhood development centres to work together in order to enhance the preparedness of learners entering primary school. The MEC for Education, Mr Tate Makgoe, said the National Teaching Awards recognised and promoted excellence in teaching.
The UFS Faculty of Education congratulated all teachers in South Africa who worked tirelessly to build a better future for all learners.