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29 March 2022 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
Dr Mikateko Mathebula
Dr Mikateko Mathebula, Senior Researcher within the SARCHI Chair for Higher Education and Human Development Research Programme, speaking about the importance of finishing what you have started.
The Centre for Graduate Support (previously known as the Postgraduate School) welcomed postgraduate students enrolled for 2022 to the University of the Free State (UFS) during an event hosted on Thursday, 24 March 2022. As part of its ‘You belong’ ceremony, the centre focused on making postgraduate studies, programmes, and funding accessible to a new cohort of students. 

Over the years, the UFS has committed itself to excellence in postgraduate education, with a focus on the output of work by postgraduate students as a measure of institutional productivity and research skills.

Embarking on solutions-based research

Speaking to postgraduate students during the welcoming ceremony held at the Centenary Complex on the Bloemfontein Campus, Dr Yong Sebastian Nyam said: “The aim should not just be to be called doctor or professor; you need to go beyond studies and build communities.”

Dr Nyam, an alumnus of the UFS who was recently appointed as an African fellow at the World Bank, said: “As a postgraduate student, do not do research to just fill a gap. Strive to make positive contributions and solve societal problems. Be a tool and show how useful you can be. Your network should be your net worth.” 

Navigating studies for academic excellence 

Noting the “importance of finishing what you have started”, Dr Mikateko Mathebula, Senior Researcher within the SARCHI Chair for Higher Education and Human Development Research Programme, said, “Postgraduate studies expose an individual to new ways of approaching research, connecting ideas, and developing presentation skills.” 

She said: “If you are convinced about pursuing your studies, speak to people who have been there, do not doubt yourself, and if wondering whether it is the right path, seek advice.”

Postgraduate studies can be a challenging journey; during the welcoming event, the importance of students taking care of their mental health and making use of the free Student Counselling and Development services, was also covered. 

To make life easier and to ensure success, the centre and the UFS also support postgraduate students by accessing funding options, developing academic writing, complying with research ethics, and applying for ethical clearance.

The UFS strives for academic excellence, and Dr Cornelius Hagenmeier, Director of the Office for International Affairs, said the institution and his office are “involved in international processes for postgraduate students interested in engaging with other countries”. 

He said: “When conducting research, do not limit yourself and consider global literature. I hope you will leave the institution with a global outlook.”  

The centre will host two welcoming ceremonies this year. The second ceremony will be in the Senate Hall on the Qwaqwa Campus on 30 March 2022.

News Archive

School of Medicine expands to provide quality tuition
2015-04-20

 

The School of Medicine at the University of the Free State (UFS) has recently extended various training platforms to provide continuous quality tuition to students.

Not only does the school boast a world-class dissection hall but now has plans for additional training facilities at two more hospitals.

The new dissection hall was completed in January 2015 with some final finishing touches that will be done shortly. The hall is newly built as the previous dissection hall has been used for undergraduate anatomy training since 1972.

Dr Sanet van Zyl, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Science, says owing to a prospective growth in the number of medical students as well as changing methods in teaching and learning, the need for a new dissection hall became evident to ensure that students get an optimal learning experience during dissection tuition.

“The new spacious dissection hall is equipped with special lighting and modern equipment for the training programme for second-year medical students. The hall is further equipped with modern sound and computer equipment. A unique camera system will allow students to follow dissection demonstrations on ten screens in the hall. Dissection demonstrations can also be recorded, enabling lecturers to put together new materials for teaching and learning.”

In addition to anatomy teaching for under- and postgraduate medical students, the Department of Basic Medical Science also offers anatomy teaching to under-graduate students from the School of Nursing, the School of Allied Health Professions as well as students from the Natural and Agricultural Sciences (such as students studying Forensic Science). The old dissection hall will still be used for the anatomy training of these students.

“The dissection programme for medical students is of critical importance, not only to acquire anatomical knowledge, but also for the development of critical skills and professionalism of our students. As already mentioned, these modern facilities will enable us to be at the forefront of current development in this field. This will benefit both present and future generations of medical students.”

At the same time, Prof Alan St. Clair Gibson, Head of the School of Medicine, announced that lecturing facilities are being developed at the Kimberley Hospital Complex. There are also plans for study facilities at the UFS’s Qwaqwa Campus and Bongani Hospital in Welkom. The UFS’s planning is also well underway for lecturing and residential facilities for students in Trompsburg, where students will receive training at the Trompsburg Hospital.

“We are very privileged to have these facilities and they will help us to provide world class training for students in the School of Medicine,” Prof St. Clair Gibson says.

 

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