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UFS Language Policy is now available in four languages

13 June 2024 | Story Edzani Nephalela | Photo Supplied

Dr Nomalungelo Ngubane, the Director of the Academy for Multilingualism, is at the forefront of this initiative, championing diversity and inclusiveness for all stakeholders at the University of the Free State.

Diversity in higher education institutions enriches the learning environment, fostering a culture of inclusion and mutual respect. It broadens perspectives, encourages critical thinking, and prepares students for a global workforce by supporting equitable access to opportunities and enhancing all students' personal growth and academic excellence.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has marked a significant milestone in its commitment to linguistic diversity with the official translation of its Language Policy into three additional languages: Sesotho, Afrikaans, and isiZulu. Previously only available in English, the translation of the policy – approved by the University Council in November 2023 – into these languages reflects the university's dedication to inclusivity and recognition of its diverse community.

The collaboration between the Academy for Multilingualism and the Institutional Regulatory Code was instrumental in a groundbreaking initiative: making the Language Policy accessible to speakers of African languages. Spearheaded by the Academy for Multilingualism, this endeavour involved a thorough translation, formatting, and proofreading process.

Dr Nomalungelo Ngubane, Director of the Academy for Multilingualism, emphasised that the availability of the Language Policy in multiple languages is not merely symbolic, but underscores the UFS' values of respect, human dignity, and social justice, as outlined in its Vision130. “This initiative aligns with the university's overarching goal of fostering an environment where all languages are valued and respected. We also hope that the Language Policy will not just be written in different languages but will strengthen the implementation of the policy in various domains of the university to achieve its objectives.

She further explains that the translation project is expected to have far-reaching impacts on how policies are communicated and understood within the university, because it enhances the ability of students, staff, and stakeholders to participate more fully in university life, contributing to a more cohesive and integrated community.

This initiative is a testament to the UFS' commitment to embracing and celebrating linguistic diversity as a fundamental aspect of its identity and operations.

News Archive

JN Boshoff Memorial Lecture: Dr Charles Nwaila

2005-09-13

Dr Charles Nwaila, Director-General of the Free State Provincial Government and Vice-Chairperson of the University of the Free State's (UFS) Council, recently discussed the repositioning of the Free State Provincial Government to respond to the 21st century demands during the JN Boshoff Memorial Lecture at the UFS.

From left: Dr Nwaila; Prof Tienie Crous, Dean: Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences; Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor and Dr Moses Sindane, Departmental Chairperson: Department of Public Management at the UFS.

A summary of the lecture.

Free State government to focus on training of public servants

The Free State provincial government in collaboration with higher education institutions in the province is to establish the Free State Association of Public Administration to get public servants to work effectively towards the growth and development of the province.
This was announced by the Director-General of the Free State provincial government, Dr Charles Nwaila, during a lecture he delivered at the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein this evening (Thursday 8 September 2005).

Delivering the annual JN Boshoff Memorial Lecture at the UFS, Dr Nwaila called on higher education institutions to play a critical and leading role in the re-engineering of the existing Provincial Training and Development Institute housed at the Vista campus of the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein.

Dr Nwaila was formerly the Superintendent-General (head) of the Free State Department of Education and currently serves as the Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the University of the Free State.
He said the proposed Free State Association of Public Administration is a joint initiative with the National Academy of Public Administration based in Washington DC.

“We take this opportunity to invite the University of the Free State and other knowledge based institutions to join the Provincial Government in fostering a collaborative network to help us develop our public servants,” Dr Nwaila said.
He said there were accelerating demands and a lot of pressure on limited resources, with Free Staters expecting more from their government than ever before.

“Civil servants in a developmental state are servants of the people, champions of the poor and the downtrodden and not self-serving individuals that seek only advancement on the career ladder,” Dr Nwaila said.
According to Dr Nwaila, the Free State Growth and Development Strategy has identified 11 areas that need to be addressed by the year 2014, including:

• To reduce unemployment from 38% to 20%
• To improve the functional literacy rate from 69,2% to 85%
• To stabilize the prevalence rate of HIV and AIDS and reverse the spread of the disease
• To provide a free basic service to all households
• To provide adequate infrastructure for economic growth and development

Dr Nwaila said that the Free State government will continue to follow a people-centred approach towards these development objectives with a keen sense of unity and unwavering determination to create the best of times for the Free State and all its people.

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