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29 March 2023
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Story Samkelo Fetile
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Photo Simba Matema
From left to right: Prof Jean Bernard Lekana-Douki, Director General at the CIRMF; Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS; and Prof Jean-Fabrice Yala, Scientific and Technical Director at the CIRMF.
The University of the Free State (UFS) recently welcomed senior members from the International Centre for Medical Research in Franceville (CIRMF), Gabon to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two entities.
CIRMF is a non-profit medical research centre that was established in 1974. Its primary focus is on diagnosing infectious diseases that pose immediate problems in Gabon and the Central African sub-region. The centre is dedicated to improving public health through various initiatives, including the training of Gabonese health executives in doctoral and post-doctoral education.
“The signing of the MoU with CIRMF is a step in the right direction as the UFS continues to strengthen its footprint on the African Continent. This is seminal in driving the university’s internationalisation processes and opening an avenue to expanding research networks, especially in the African continent,” said Bonolo Makhalemele, Coordinator of strategic projects at the Office for International Affairs, UFS.
In the interest of developing broader research collaborations, the CIRMF delegation met with some UFS academics in a series of engagements, particularly in the Health Sciences Faculty and the Natural and Agricultural Sciences Faculty. “The integration of knowledge and practices that emanate from the continent provides opportunities for the co-creation of knowledge that can be shared with the rest of the world,” said Kagiso Ngake, Coordinator for Partnerships, Collaborative Degrees, and Outgoing Mobility at the Office for International Affairs, UFS.
A concrete roadmap was established to formalise the collaborations that resulted from these engagements and will commence as soon as April 2023. “We have laid a solid foundation and are on the way to a strong and rich partnership!” exclaimed Prof Jean Bernard Lekana-Douki, Director General at the CIRMF.
Prof Francis Petersen, Rector, and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, further highlighted how the newly established partnership with the CIRMF aligns with the mandate of the UFS Vision 130 of expanding the UFS Africa research network.
Outcomes of the CHE National Review of the LLB degree
2017-04-18
The Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) participated in the 2016 national curriculum review of the LLB degree in 2016. This review was conducted under the auspices of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and had, as its purpose, the evaluation of the extent to which the four-year LLB degree meets its objectives.
The draft report that was issued to the UFS Faculty of Law indicated that, although the degree largely meets most of the standards for the qualification, the primary concern of the CHE regarding the programme is the number of credits students are required to complete for the degree.
Based on CHE credit limits for programmes, the LLB degree programme is too overloaded for a four-year programme. The CHE thus requires the faculty to address its concerns.
As the faculty had already indicated that the current LLB curriculum be replaced with a new one before the CHE review, it has already started with a recurriculation process and will be able to supply the CHE with a strategy and implementation plan to address its concerns by mid-October 2017, as requested.
Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
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