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31 July 2023
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Story Lerato Lesiu
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Photo Supplied
The Umoja Buddy Programme (UBP) in the Office for International Affairs at the University of the Free State (UFS) celebrated International Day of Friendship by visiting students and staff members all over campus and handing out treats with messages of friendship attached.
This day is celebrated every year on 30 July; the UBP’s ambassadors and buddies participated on Friday 28 July by hosting an event to encourage a sense of togetherness and solidarity among the university community. It emphasised the importance of friendship and how it contributes to the spread of kindness, love, and peace among people from many cultural backgrounds.
Bulelwa Moikwatlhai, who leads the Internationalisation at Home and Incoming Exchange Students portfolios in the Office for International Affairs, says the participants representing different countries in the Umoja Buddy Programme celebrated the day by visiting students and staff members all over campus and handing out treats with messages of friendship attached.
“The goal was to make someone’s day while learning about their understanding of friendship and to encourage people to reach out to their friends, express their appreciation, and engage in acts of kindness.”
“The participants had the opportunity to share their personal stories and experiences of friendship, discussing the challenges they faced and overcame, and the lessons they learned. The event allowed individuals to reflect on the value of friendship and its transformative power in promoting understanding and acceptance,” said Moikwatlhai.
Furthermore, she stated that the UBP has launched a social media campaign to encourage individuals worldwide to celebrate International Day of Friendship. Through inspiring stories, videos, and messages, the campaign aimed to spread the message of friendship and unity across borders.
Overall, the Umoja Buddy Programme’s celebration of International Friendship Day was a testament to the programme’s commitment to fostering lifelong friendships and promoting intercultural understanding. By providing a platform for individuals to connect, learn, and appreciate each other’s background, the UBP continues to create a world where diversity is celebrated, and where friendship knows no boundaries. The UBP recognises that friendship has the power to bridge cultural divides and create meaningful connections. The UBP firmly believes that these interactions can break stereotypes, enhance cultural awareness, and foster a sense of belonging and inclusivity.
- The Umoja Buddy Programme is a programme that pairs newly admitted international students with current students at the UFS for social, cultural, and academic integration. It seeks to ensure the smooth transition and integration of international students into student life at the UFS, helping them to integrate into the campus and local communities. The programme aims to connect international and local students through meaningful lifelong friendships and to foster their academic, social, and cultural integration at the UFS.
A huge student turnout for NBT
2010-02-24
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Ms Babongile Bomela (seated, left) and Mr Riekie Vickers (seated, right) with some of the first-year students who wrote the NBT's. They both acted as invigilators for the tests.
Photo: Mangaliso Radebe |
More than 5 000 first-year students at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently wrote the National Benchmark Tests (NBT).
These tests are used to complement first-year students’ Grade 12 results and provide a profile of student competencies that the university can use to improve the quality of teaching and learning to enhance student success.
This was the first time that the UFS had made use of the NBTs, which were thoroughly piloted at several South African universities during 2009.
“A total of 5 449 students from the Main, South and Qwaqwa Campuses participated in this very ambitious testing process,” said Ms Merridy Wilson-Strydom from the Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development (CHESD) at the UFS.
“Altogether 7 687 test papers were completed. This is an excellent turn-out and highlights our students’ commitment to their studies.”
It was compulsory for all students (excluding those from the Faculty of Health Sciences) to write the Academic and Quantitative Literacy Test (AQL). Students from the Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences as well as Natural and Agricultural Sciences also wrote the Mathematics Tests.
“AQL targets students’ capacity to engage successfully with the demands of academic study in the medium of instruction, and the ability to manage situations or solve problems in a real context that is relevant to higher education study, using basic qualitative information that may be presented verbally, graphically, in tabular or symbolic form,” she explained.
“The Mathematics Test targets students’ ability with regard to mathematical concepts that are formally regarded as part of the school curriculum and tested in the Mathematics Examination Papers 1 and 2.”
The NBTs have been developed with inputs from over 300 academics from all the 23 universities in the country. They are available in English and Afrikaans.
Data integrity is quality-assured by the Assessment Systems Corporation in Michigan, USA, and further interrogated by the Education Testing Services in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
The NBT results of UFS students will be available by the middle of March 2010. First-year students who do not perform at the required proficiency level in the academic literacy domain will be required to complete a language development module. This module is offered in both English and Afrikaans, depending on the chosen medium of instruction of the student.
Media Release:
Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za
2 March 2010