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UFS invites staff and students to participate in Language Resource Audit

05 May 2023 | Story EDZANI NEPHALELA | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and Universities South Africa (USAf), will be conducting its Language Resource Audit for the UFS on 2 June 2023.

This audit process will assess the resources available and required for the implementation of a Language policy framework for higher education (2020) – such as the development of multilingual terminologies, translation services for teaching and learning materials, campus signage, as well as various multimedia collateral – including their quality and relevance to the needs of the students and faculty. The audit will include an assessment of existing resources and whether they are furthering implementation goals, and may also include the gathering of feedback from students and faculty to identify improvement areas.

Dr Nomalungelo Ngubane, Director of the UFS Academy for Multilingualism, said the process will help the UFS identify the essential languages resources that are available for the successful implementation of the 2020 Language Policy for Higher Education framework (LPHE). “The audit will identify how much has been done at the UFS and which institutions we can collaborate with, for example, in the development of Sesotho, so that we do not reinvent the wheel, but we close the gaps.”

Once the audit is completed, the institution will develop a plan for resource allocation to address the identified gaps. This may involve acquiring new resources, upgrading existing ones, or reallocating existing resources better to meet the needs of students, staff, and faculties.

Due to the impact this audit will have on various stakeholders, all staff and students are encouraged to participate. To attend the audit, please RSVP here by 30 May 2023.

News Archive

UFS architects receive SAIA award

2003-11-07

Two staff members of the University of the Free State’s Department of Architecture received a merit award from the South African Institute for Architects (SAIA) for the unique way in which they designed their home.

Prof Jan and Mrs Petria Smit’s home in Waverley, Bloemfontein is built against a hill and designed in such a way that the natural surroundings are retained. The house is built on various levels and open spaces and a lot of light is used. The children’s rooms are for example not built up to the ceiling in order to break walls out if more space is needed.

For the two architects the natural surroundings in the cityscape depict an African mask because the strong face-like public image is sheltering the inhabitants behind it.

A total of 12 architectural projects country wide received merit awards from the SAIA. Some of the projects include the South African Apartheids Museum, Unilever’s Head Office in Durban, the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature in Nelspruit and the Westcliff Estate in Johannesburg. The Smit residence is one of only two residences that received merit awards.

From these projects the PG Group SAIA Award for Excellence will be awarded in August 2004. This is the highest accolade that the SAIA and the architectural profession can accord to a building.

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