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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 appoints first black woman director

2006-05-03

The Executive Management of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) has approved the appointment of Mrs Refiloe Seane as Director of Kovsie Student Counselling, and Dr Francois Strydom as Director of Student Development.

Ms Seane is the first black woman director to be appointed at the UFS and has been acting in this position since last year.

“Mrs Seane’s appointment is the latest in a series of appointments of women in management positions at the UFS. It signifies our commitment to create a diverse and dynamic institution of higher learning,” said Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.

Other appointments of women in management positions include that of Prof Magda Fourie as Vice-Rector: Academic Planning; Prof Letticia Moja as Dean: Faculty of Health Sciences; Dr Choice Makhetha as Vice-Dean: Student Affairs and Prof Engela Pretorius as Vice-Dean: Humanities.

Mrs Seane joined the UFS in 1997 as counselling psychologist at Kovsie Counselling. In 2003 she was promoted to senior psychologist. She holds a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology at the UFS.

“The need for students to receive counselling is steadily on the increase. I contribute this to the increasing challenges facing young people of today. Some of the issues we deal with include among others personal adjustment to the university environment, learning and study skills, career guidance and developmental and psychological problems,” said Mrs Seane.

“I commit myself to develop students and prepare them for their studies and careers ahead. My aim is to improve the efficiency of counselling services at the UFS. This will help produce balanced graduates who will become role players both nationally and internationally,” said Mrs Seane.

Dr Francois Strydom has been appointed as Head/Director for Kovsie Student Development. Before his appointment Dr Strydom was senior lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand’s (WITS) School of Human and Community Development. He holds a Ph D in Psychology from Oxford University, after having obtained a BA degree, BA Honours and master’s degrees in Psychology at the UFS.

“This appointment signals the elevation of the function of student development to directorate level for the first time. It reflects the commitment of the University to support students and their academic development in order to improve their academic success rates. The increase of success rates of especially black students from disadvantaged school backgrounds is a key element of the transformation process of the UFS,” said Prof Fourie.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
2 May 2006

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