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16 February 2024
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Story ANTHONY MTHEMBU
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Photo ROSINA MOTHIBA
Prof Matseliso Mokhele-Makgalwa: Vice Dean; Research, Engagement and Internationalisation in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State (UFS).
The Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State (UFS) proudly announces the appointment of Prof Matseliso Mokhele-Makgalwa as Vice Dean of Research, Engagement and Internationalisation, effective 1 January 2024. With a wealth of experience and a fervent dedication to academic advancement, Prof Mokhele-Makgalwa’s appointment marks a significant stride towards enhancing the faculty’s global presence and academic prowess.
Transitioning into a new role
Transitioning seamlessly from her previous role as Acting Vice Dean of Research and Postgraduate Studies, Prof Mokhele-Makgalwa perceives this new appointment as a natural progression, elevating her responsibilities to spearhead research endeavours, foster engagement, and cultivate international partnerships within the faculty. Embracing this pivotal role with enthusiasm, she underscores the importance of collaborative efforts among faculty members, securing research funding, and ensuring the quality and impact of scholarly outputs.
“I appreciate the opportunity to contribute significantly to the faculty’s research, engagement and internalisation efforts,” says Prof Mokhele-Makgalwa. “I look forward to collaborating with the faculty staff members to advance our academic initiatives on a broader scale.”
A vision of progression for the faculty
At the heart of her vision lies a commitment to realise the UFS’s Vision130, wherein Prof Mokhele-Makgalwa aims to elevate the international profile of the faculty, foster impactful research, promote engaged scholarship, and facilitate knowledge exchange on a global scale. Her strategic objectives also include positioning the faculty among the top three education schools nationally, reflecting her dedication to academic excellence and institutional advancement.
A bridge to the future for school leavers
2009-03-04
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Ms Merridy Wilson-Strydom, Research Consultant at the Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development at the UFS.
Photo: Supplied) |
Thousands of learners in the country’s high schools fail to qualify for post-school education and training. Now a unique project funded by the Ford Foundation and being piloted at the University of the Free State (UFS) seeks to provide such learners with a lifeline.
The 2008 Grade 12 results showed once again that the schooling system is – and has been for a long time – in the throes of a severe crisis. The most disturbing feature of this crisis is that the system does not produce learners with the required level of literacy, numeracy and other cognitive skills to further their education or to become part of the country’s workforce.
Clearly this situation is untenable in a developing country such as ours, facing the immense challenges of a severe skills shortage, poverty and unemployment. We cannot afford to have hundreds of thousands of young people walking the streets without any prospect of a decent living and a future of opportunity.
The UFS and partners in the Free State Higher Education Consortium (FSHEC) have devised a unique programme to help underprepared and even unprepared school-leavers who have fallen through the cracks of the school system.
“We are hoping to make a meaningful contribution to the challenging field of creating educational opportunities for post-school study and the world of work through the generous support of the Ford Foundation,” says Ms Merridy Wilson-Strydom, Research Consultant at the Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development at the UFS.
“The Skills for a Changing World Programme is specifically aimed at removing barriers to educational opportunities for school-leavers who are not able to access higher education – mainstream or extended degrees. At the moment there are few, if any, meaningful opportunities for those learners who come through the school system un/underprepared,” she says.
The primary target group for the NQF Level-5 Programme is young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who are currently excluded from post-schooling educational opportunities. The duration of the programme is one year.
According to Ms Wilson-Strydom, the core modules of the activity-driven curriculum are English Literacy and Language Development, Mathematical Literacy, Information and Communication Technology and Your Global Positioning System (YGPS), which focuses on study skills and critical life skills, e.g. dealing with diversity. Students will also be supported to make informed choices about their future study or career directions.
“The development of the core-module materials is almost complete and from the second semester we plan to test the programme by means of a pilot project, which will be conducted on the UFS’s South Campus in Bloemfontein,” says Ms Wilson-Strydom.
“The pilot study will involve a group of 20-50 learners who have finished Grade 12 but do not qualify for the UFS bridging programme known as the Career Preparation Programme or any other higher-education programmes,” says Ms Wilson-Strydom.
Although not yet accredited, the project team aims to have the programme accredited as a Higher Certificate and is also exploring the possibility of registering the programme as a Short Learning Programme.
“One of the challenges with access and bridging programmes in the country is that students do not obtain a formal qualification for their bridging year. Hence those who do not continue with higher-education study (or cannot continue for various reasons such as finances), do not gain the recognition they should get for what they have learnt during their bridging year.”
“Our focus on developing the Skills for a Changing World Programme as a qualification in its own right is a key innovation in the current education and training landscape,” says Ms Wilson-Strydom.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
4 March 2009