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31 October 2023 | Story EDZANI NEPHALELA | Photo JOLANDI GRIESEL
Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Buti Manamela
Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Buti Manamela delivers the keynote address at the launch of the Advanced Diploma in Technical Vocational Training.

Thanks to a collaborative effort between the University of the Free State (UFS), the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE), Open Learning, and the European Union (EU), an Advanced Diploma in Technical Vocational Training was launched at the UFS Bloemfontein Campus earlier this month.

This innovative programme, which is offered at NQF level 7, includes resources such as Mathematics Method, Method of Teaching Automotive Repair and Maintenance, Collage-based Work-integrated Learning, and Method of Teaching Electrical Engineering, and is designed to meet the evolving demands of the modern workforce by combining cutting-edge technical education with a strong vocational focus. The diploma aims to equip South African students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in a rapidly changing job market. The programme has also been enriched by expertise and resources from the EU, enhancing its international appeal and quality.

Dr Engela van Staden, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at the UFS, expressed the primary goal of this collaboration as providing access to higher education for those in need, with a particular emphasis on enhancing the skills and abilities of lecturers in TVET (technical and vocational education and training) colleges. "The UFS is optimistic that these open education resource materials will be valuable to all universities and TVET colleges willing to offer this diploma,” she said.

Possibilities for sharing of open educational resources

Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Buti Manamela said that education and training stand at the forefront of transformation in our fast-evolving world. “We are witnessing a paradigm shift from traditional learning methods to a more inclusive, accessible, and collaborative approach,” he said. Open learning emphasises accessibility of available educational resources and the free exchange of knowledge by offering two open licenses, the National Open Learning System (NOLS) and Learning Management System (LMS).

“Open Educational Resources, or OER, embody the spirit of open learning,” he said. “We all know that these freely accessible, openly licensed materials hold the power to revolutionise the way we educate our students. Imagine a South Africa where educational resources are not confined to the walls of an institution but are adopted and adapted by multiple institutions, giving students access to the highest-quality materials developed by a team of experts. Any student, regardless of their institution, geographic location, or socio-economic background, has equal access to high-quality educational opportunities. This is the promise OER brings to our education and training landscape.” 

The power of partnerships

This collaboration focused on developing open learning materials that will be freely accessible and adaptable to the unique needs of South African universities offering programmes for TVET college lecturer development. It is believed that six universities, including the University of the Witwatersrand and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, have already adopted these resources.

Nolwazi Gasa, Deputy Director-General: Planning, Policy and Strategy at the DHET, said this collaboration is a testament to the power of international partnerships in addressing the challenges facing education today. “The collaborative efforts of the EU aimed to enhance teacher development in South Africa and integrate the Fourth Industrial Revolution into the DHET. Partnerships are pivotal in addressing critical issues within our nation, particularly in education and learning. We are dedicated to forging a path toward a more promising future for our educators, students, and the overall prosperity of our esteemed nation.”

Jennie Glennie, SAIDE Founding Director, reflected on the processes to ensure the launch of this diploma. “Our collaborative effort involved academics from 13 universities, five TVET college lecturers, and a South College Principal's Organization representative,” she said. Additionally, three learning design experts, including a subject developer, critical reviewer, and learning design specialist contributed to bringing this vision to fruition. As we launch these modules, let us remember the transformative power of education and continue our journey towards a brighter, more skilled, and more prosperous South Africa.” 

News Archive

Historians must place African history on world stage – Dr Zeleza
2017-05-30

 Description: Historians must place African history on world stage Tags: Historians must place African history on world stage

From the left: Panellists Rev Henry Jackson,
Prof Irikidzayi Manase and Arno Van Niekerk at a book
launch and panel discussion on Africa Day hosted by the
UFS Sasol Library.
Photo: Mamosa Makaya

“African historians must take seriously the challenge of placing African history in world history, and in the history of our species, Homo sapiens.”

With these words, Dr Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, Vice Chancellor of the United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, stressed the continent’s challenge.

According to him the contest should continue to recover and reconstruct Africa’s long history. Liberating African knowledges can be done by: “Provincialising Europe that has monopolised universality, universalising Africa beyond its Eurocentric provincialisation, and engaging histories of other continents on their own terms.”

University celebrates Africa Month in various ways  
Dr Zeleza delivered the ninth Africa Day Memorial Lecture, titled The Decolonisation of African Knowledges, at the University of the Free State (UFS). The lecture, hosted by the Centre for Africa Studies (CAS), took place on 24 May 2017 in the Equitas Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus and was one of the ways in which the UFS celebrated Africa Month.

Scholars should immerse themselves in these thoughts
Dr Zeleza focused on two issues, which he said were interconnected. They were the unfinished project of decolonising African knowledges and the continent's positioning in global knowledge production.

He said Africa’s scholars and students should “immerse themselves in the rich traditions of African social thought going back millennia”. According to him the continent’s research profile still remains weak in global terms.

“It is imperative that the various key stakeholders in African higher education from governments to the general public to parents, and to students, faculty, staff, and administrators in the academic institutions themselves, raise the value proposition of African higher education for 21st century African societies, economies, and polities.”

“Colonialism is associated with injustice
and inequality, but what happens when
our liberators become our oppressors?”

Library celebrates with panel discussion and book launch
The UFS Sasol Library celebrated Africa Day by presenting a book launch and panel discussion on 25 May 2017, on the pertinent and current political theme of land redistribution with a comparative basis of land invasions in Zimbabwe.

Prof Irikidzayi Manase discussed his book White Narratives: The Depiction of Post-2000 Land Invasions in Zimbabwe, accompanied by Rev Henry Jackson who wrote Another Farm in Africa. A perspective of the economic implications of land redistribution in South Africa was discussed by panellist Arno Van Niekerk: Senior Lecturer of Economics at the UFS Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

Inequality still an African problem
The content of the books are a stark reminder of the burning issues of inequality and loss of identity of those who lost their farms in Zimbabwe, a collection of memoirs by white farmers and their families. Rev Jackson gave a religious perspective on reconciliation, forgiveness and the question of land ownership, saying that healing of injustice begins with forgiveness of past transgressions.

Van Niekerk highlighted that while land issues were important, “social cohesion is affected by the economic decisions that will be made”. In closing, Prof Manase called for serious consideration of what the future may hold. “Colonialism is associated with injustice and inequality, but what happens when our liberators become our oppressors?” 

The panel discussion was attended by staff and students of the university, and was lit up by robust discussions on possible historical and future solutions to the question of land, decolonisation and political power struggles in Southern Africa and lessons to be learned from Zimbabwe.

UFS celebrates Africa Month (24 May 2017)

 

 

 

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