Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Students’ perspectives on multilingualism at the UFS

28 September 2022 | Story Edzani Nephalela | Photo Edzani Nephalela

Swanti Jerry Thoka, former CSRC President and Actuarial Science student, expresses his questions and policy proposals during the questions-and-answers session.

Multilingualism is a buzzword at many South African universities. These universities promote social cohesion, a sense of belonging, and epistemic access and success by improving and advancing existing language policies and practices.

On 16 September 2022, the University of the Free State (UFS) had its first student discussion on the Bloemfontein Campus regarding the draft Language Policy, which is being reviewed for an updated version in 2023. With English being the primary language of teaching and learning, this policy aims to promote diversity in teaching and learning in Sesotho, isiZulu, Afrikaans, and Sign Language through translating tutorials and academic vocabulary and continuously establishing and maintaining trans-institutional, interinstitutional, and intra-institutional collaborations for the development of a translanguaging culture.

During the presentation, Dr Nomalungelo Ngubane, Director of the Academy for Multilingualism, revealed to students that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has designated a decade – from 2022 to 2032 – as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. This guarantees that these languages are promoted and advanced enough to be utilised as academic languages in academia. "This puts pressure on the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to recognise students' different languages in institutions. Section 29 of the South African Constitution further stipulates that we all have the right to learn in our preferred language, but only if it is practical. So currently, we cannot learn in these languages due to the lack of glossaries," Dr Ngubane said.

During the question-and-answer session, Swanti Jerry Thoka, a former Campus Student Representative Council (CSRC) President and Actuarial Science student, cited the policy. "The policy states that it will entail developing previously disadvantaged languages, which includes both indigenous languages and Sign Language, as well as continuing to improve existing ones. Why don't we concentrate on development because the current languages have advanced? For example, a Sign Language policy appears to exist, but it lacks a comprehensive execution strategy," Thoka said.

Dr Ngubane noted all the remarks and questions, and assured attendees that they would be addressed at the next Council meeting. She stressed the value of students’ participation in policymaking, since their future is being debated. She further explained that students should provide the SRC with recommendations to submit at the Council meetings, because the SRC are their elected representatives.

Dr Nomalungelo Ngubane, Director of the Academy for Multilingualism, presents the draft language policy at the Equitas, Bloemfontein Campus.
(Photo: Edzani Nephalela)

News Archive

Programme: Intervarsity, Kovsies and Pukke

2008-08-01

Intervarsity on Kovsie Campus

Friday 8 August 2008:

Netball:
18:00 Soetdoring vs Dinki UFS Netball court 1
18:00 Wag-‘n-Bietjie (UFS) vs Eikenhof UFS Netball court 2
18:00 Marjolein vs Minjonet UFS Netball court 3
18:00 Vergeet-My-Nie 2 (UFS) vs Bellatrix UFS Netball court 4
19:15 Vergeet-My-Nie 1 (UFS) vs Wanda UFS Netball court 1
19:15 Roosmaryn vs Vergeet-My-Nie (PUK) UFS Netball court 2
19:15 Emily Hobhouse vs Karlien UFS Netball court 3
19:15 Soetdoring 2 vs Wag-‘n-Bietjie (PUK) UFS Netball court 4

Badminton:
18:00 UFS vs PUK ( 2 USSA teams) UFS Badminton hall

Squash:
18:00 UFS vs PUK ( 1 USSA teams) UFS Squash courts

Table Tennis:
18:00 UFS vs PUK ( 1 USSA teams) UFS Badminton hall

Hockey:
18:00 UFS Hostel 3 vs PUK Hostel 3 (Men) UFS Astro 2
18:00 Kovsies 1 vs PUK 1 (Men) UFS Astro 1
18:50 UFS Hostel 2 vs PUK Hostel 2 (Men) UFS Astro 2
19:30 UFS Hostel 1 vs PUK Hostel 1 (Men) UFS Astro 1

Soccer:
14:00 UFS 1 vs PUK 1 (Ladies) UFS field 8
16:00 UFS 2 vs PUK 2 (Men) UFS field 8
19:00 Toasts Shimla Park
19:20 UFS 1 vs PUK 1 Shimla Park

Saturday 9 August 2008:

Golf:
8:00 UFS vs PUK (8 men) Bloemfontein GC

Volleyball:
8:30 UFS men vs PUK men UFS Badminton hall

Tennis:
8:30 UFS Ladies vs PUK Ladies (10 players) UFS Tennis courts
8:30 UFS Men vs PUK Men (10 players) UFS Tennis courts

Hockey:
9:00 UFS Hostel 1 vs PUK Hostel 1 (L) UFS Astro 1
9:00 UFS Hostel 2 vs PUK Hostel 2 (L) UFS Astro 2
9:50 UFS Hostel 4 vs PUK Hostel 4 (L) UFS Astro 2
10:15 Kovsies 2 vs PUK 2 (L) UFS Astro 1
10:40 UFS Hostel 3 vs PUK Hostel 3 (L) UFS Astro 2
11:45 Kovsies 1 vs PUK 1 (L) UFS Astro 1

Rugby:
9:00 UFS u/19 vs PUK u/19 Shimla Park
9:00 UFS Agriculture vs PUK Engineers UFS field 2
9:00 Veritas (UFS) vs Overs UFS field 3
9:00 JBM vs Villagers UFS field 4
9:00 Karee vs Caput UFS field 5
10:30 UFS u/21 vs PUK u/21 Shimla Park
10:30 Vishuis vs De Wilgers UFS field 2
10:30 Armentum vs Veritas (PUK) UFS field 3
10:30 Reitz vs Patria UFS field 4
10:30 UFS Ritsims vs PUK 3 UFS field 5
12:00 Irawas vs Ibbies Shimla Park
13:30 Toasts Shimla Park
14:00 Shimlas vs PUKKE Shimla Park

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

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