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UFS hosts IASIA 2024 Conference on Public Administration

24 July 2024 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Born2shoot

The University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted the esteemed International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) 2024 Conference. This notable event was organised by the UFS Department of Public Administration and Management, bringing together 280 academics, researchers, students, and practitioners to delve into the theme, Alternative Service Delivery and Sustainable Societal Responsiveness.

The relevance of this theme aligns with the Global and Africa Agendas 2030 and 2063, emphasising the need for a transformative dynamic to ensure that no one is left behind. The conference addressed the roles and challenges faced by public institutions, governments at all levels, public servants, and citizens worldwide. It highlighted the importance of managing uncertainties, challenges, and expectations in an era of complex reforms.

The conference featured a diverse and distinguished line-up of speakers, including Dr Najat Zarrouk, President of IASIA; Dr Sofiane Sahraoui, Director General of IASIA; Dr Ra’ed Benshams, President of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS); Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal; and Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, former Minister of Public Service and Administration of South Africa.

Advancing excellence

IASIA is dedicated to strengthening administrative capacity worldwide, advancing excellence in public administration education and training, and fostering the dissemination of innovative scholarly research and practices in governance and administration. The key objectives of the conference are to promote the exchange of knowledge on the evolution of public administration theory and practice and to facilitate comparative studies and the development of public administration theory. In addition, it aims to encourage innovation in ideas, methods, and techniques in public administration; strengthen the dialogue between academics and practitioners; as well as to develop and consolidate a community of public administration experts open to contributions from young researchers and public officials.

Sustainable solutions

“Hosting the IASIA Conference was pivotal for addressing sustainable solutions to service delivery challenges in the public sector, both globally and within the South African context. It provided a valuable platform for international exposure and networking for the UFS Department of Public Administration and Management, the broader UFS community, the Free State Provincial Government, and the South African as well as the global public administration and management fraternity,” said Prof Liezel Lues, UFS Professor of Public Administration and Management and rapporteur of the IASIA conference.

“It also included practitioners from South African universities and various public sector stakeholders, aligning with Vision 130's goal of making a significant social impact by fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovative solutions to local and global challenges,” she added.

Exploring the future of public service

A significant focus of the conference was exploring alternative service delivery models aimed at enhancing efficiency, responsiveness, inclusiveness, collaboration, co-production, and accountability. Public institutions and governments worldwide are grappling with numerous complex challenges, including the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, rapid urbanisation, climate change, inequality, youth disorientation, migration, and the digital revolution. These challenges have led to a critical lack of trust in public institutions and growing dissatisfaction with government performance.

Embracing alternative service delivery

Traditional government models have often struggled to meet citizens' needs and address these multifaceted issues. The conference highlighted the emergence of alternative service delivery models, emphasising the need to open public services to other actors and stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society organisations, and community groups. This approach seeks to enhance public service delivery through collaboration and innovation, ultimately striving to build a more responsive and sustainable society.

Click to view document Please click here to scan the QR code with the IASIA app for more information about the conference.

Watch the conference highlights video

News Archive

University publishes its Integrated Report

2013-08-23

23 August 2013

The university is proud to have published an integrated report in line with the King III requirements on corporate governance. The university is one of the first universities – if not the first – in South Africa to do so. The UFS sees integrated reporting as a public process through which we report to all our stakeholders, using evidence-based data, on the achievements and challenges of a public university.

Our first Integrated Report reviews the overall performance, non-financial and financial, of the UFS for the 2012 academic year. It is the first report of its kind delivered to stakeholders and guided by the King III framework which recommends integrated, sustainable performance that is reported in a way that enables stakeholders to make an informed assessment of an institution.

The Integrated Report notes that the conditions under which higher education institutions operate have become more demanding in the last two decades and there is a growing need for universities to be more explicit and transparent about the manner in which their core functions (teaching, research and public duty), as well as its administrative operations, are defined by and support good governance, sustainability and corporate citizenship.

The university welcomes this opportunity to present in public an integrated account of itself. In particular, the UFS sees this report as an opportunity to align more strongly its financial and non-financial reporting in pursuit of organisational sustainability and social transformation in South Africa.

Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, notes in the report that in the past four years the university has made significant progress in respect of its two foundational commitments, the Academic Project and the Human Project.

There are now more students entering the university who satisfy the higher requirements set for admission. “This will improve the throughput and graduation rates of incoming students, ensuring their personal success and satisfaction with higher education.” The establishment of a state-of-the-art Postgraduate School, for example, is expected to increase the number, quality and success rates of postgraduate students.

The research output has increased steadily and the contribution of the new Senior Professors project, as well as the five research clusters, have helped to improve the quality of research and the spread of postgraduate recruitment beyond South Africa.

On transformation, the Vice-Chancellor observes that “We have made significant progress in building inclusive, democratic and embracing campus cultures which affirm the value and dignity of all students and staff. With the steady increase of black students in a majority black campus, our goal remains to retain our diversity in a university that serves as an experiment in teaching students to live and learn and love together.”

Financial sustainability is a major commitment and the UFS has not only maintained its record of unqualified audits, but has steadily built a culture of risk management and performance evaluation throughout the system. Internal auditing is a strong instrument in our arsenal to secure financial and operational compliance in every department of the university.

“What integrates the systems and functions of the university is the alignment of everything we do with our two pillars, the Academic and Human Projects, built on a solid foundation of professional support services as described in the Strategic Plan adopted in 2012. In the process of preparing the Integrated Report we discovered how much still needs to be done to align the still disparate and independent activities of the three campuses, seven faculties and more than 100 departments of this large university,” according to the Vice-Chancellor.

The report is available at: http://www.ufs.ac.za/content.aspx?id=184.

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