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UFS South Campus: Leading in Childhood Education

16 February 2023 | Story Kekeletso Takang | Photo Kekeletso Takang

Leading Education — Leading in Open Distance and E-Learning is Dr Bawinile Mthanti (left), and Programme Director for Childhood Education; Dr Zukiswa Nhase (right).

If you want to make a change, be you. These are the words of Dr Zukiswa Nhase, Programme Director for the Department of Childhood Education and Lecturer in the Faculty of Education. She believes that to make an impact, a leader needs to demonstrate care.

As of 2023, the Department of Childhood Education (DCE) – Foundation Phase – relocated to the South Campus, widening the offering of the campus. The Grade R Diploma in Teaching and the Advanced Certificate in Teaching are flagship undergraduate programmes offered by the Faculty of Education.

Grade R Diploma bridging the gap

The Grade R Diploma in Teaching, an initiative of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), is geared towards equipping and supporting childhood development teachers.

Catering for the Free State context, the qualification accommodates English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, and isiZulu speakers. Teachers are taught by experienced specialists in the field who understand their daily challenges. This is according to Dr Nhase. The DCE has much to offer, being a leader in the country in offering the Grade R diploma, with universities across South Africa benchmarking from the UFS.

The primary purpose of this qualification is to empower teachers with the appropriate skills and knowledge to optimise any teaching-learning situation. Informed by research, the Grade R Diploma in Teaching has been developed to meet specific national skills needs that exist in South Africa’s education system, with specific reference to the Grade R distance education model which provides a customised and practical opportunity for existing teachers to upgrade their knowledge and level of professionalism without having to attend full-time contact classes.

Early Childhood Development (ECD) in South Africa refers to an all-inclusive approach to programmes and policies for children from birth to seven years of age. Formerly with the Department of Social Development, ECD now reports to the Department of Basic Education. This move was to bridge the gap that existed and to unify the teaching professions.

Advanced Certificate in Teaching

Another offering on the South Campus under the stewardship of Dr Bawinile Mthanti, Head of Open Distance and E-Learning (ODEL) in the Faculty of Education, is the Advanced Certificate in Teaching. Previously managed by the UFS and HEPSA, ACT is now solely managed by the UFS. Delivered in two modes, it is aimed at upgrading the qualifications of teachers who are currently employed without adequate training. This programme is an excellent opportunity to provide specialist education to teachers who need to strengthen their subject-specialisation knowledge base.

The Advanced Certificate in Teaching is delivered in the online mode (100% online with no face-to-face contact with the lecturer) and the blended distance-learning mode (some online activity and face-to-face contact with the lecturer). Through this programme, students advance closer to a Bachelor of Education.

With Gauteng province leading the way with the number of registered students, the ACT has had great successes and will only advance when it is offered solely in online mode from 2024. “We are currently in the process of acquiring approval in the UFS structures to offer ACT solely online from 2024,” says Dr Mthanti.

For more information on the programmes and other Faculty of Education offerings, visit our website.

News Archive

Incidents on the Bloemfontein Campus

2016-08-25

Statement by the Institutional Forum of the University of the Free State (UFS) - Released by Dr Willy Nel (Chairperson) on behalf of the Institutional Forum of the UFS

Two incidents happened on campus the past week, which were brought to the attention of the university management:

1. The university management received a complaint on 16 August 2016 that a student had sprayed liquid in the face of a security guard at one of the university gates. The reason appears to be that three students were sent back to their residence to collect their student cards in order to exit the campus – as required – and this might have caused the reaction. In video footage, it is clear that a student on the passenger side was responsible for the spraying incident. Statements have been taken from the three students in the car as well as from the affected security guard. The student claims that the liquid was water from his gym bottle. Regardless, charge sheets were prepared and delivered, and the disciplinary hearing has been scheduled on an urgent basis for 1 September 2016.

2. An incident happened on the Bloemfontein Campus on 23 August 2016, with a test being distributed in a class where the answer to one of the questions was included in the Afrikaans version, while it was excluded in the English version. The matter was investigated and it was decided that the written test will be set aside and a new test, covering the same scope, will be compiled for all students; the new test will be subject to external moderation; and external moderation of tests in the particular department will take place until the end of the year. The lecturer concerned claims that this was a genuine mistake and not intentional, in that guidelines for that one question were removed after a decision to add further examination questions, which made the guidelines obsolete; in the process of revising the papers, the lecturer made a mistake and did not remove the guidelines for both the English and Afrikaans versions. Nonetheless, the university management has decided on a disciplinary process involving the lecturer concerned, given the seriousness of the matter.

Released by: Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Tel: +27 51 401 3422/2707 or +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393

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