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28 May 2024 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Jon Vincent
Ibali
Educators, academics, and policymakers in attendance at the Ibali Education Stakeholders Forum.

The Centre for Development Support (CDS) at the University of the Free State (UFS), in collaboration with Ibali, hosted the Ibali Education Stakeholders Forum on 10 May 2024 at the Centenary Complex on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus. 

According to Prof Faith Mkwananzi, Associate Professor at the CDS, the event, an initiative of the Ibali Project, aimed to ‘’inform and disseminate project findings to individuals with an interest in educational exclusion and inclusion. It also served as a forum for stakeholders to share insights on the matter. “ The forum was well attended by educators, school leaders, academics, and policymakers from the Free State. Additionally, the event saw representation from Ibali, including Dr Alison Buckler, Deputy Director of the Centre for the Study of Global Development (CSGD) at The Open University.

A platform for engagement

Discussions at the forum focused on creating inclusive learning environments for learners and students within the province and beyond. Stakeholders had the opportunity to discuss the challenges they face in fostering inclusive learning spaces through panel discussions and presentations. ’’The involvement of stakeholders and presentation of diverse perspectives contributed to a robust engagement, indicating that individuals and organisations are motivated to support an inclusive and sustainable education system at every level in South Africa,’’ said Prof Mkwananzi.

The Ibali initiative

Dr Buckler explained that Ibali is a network of researchers, practitioners, and educators interested in how storytelling can support different understandings around complex issues in education and development. One of Ibali’s projects, funded by the United Kingdom Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), explores what inclusion and exclusion look like within education in countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Insights from the engagement

Dr Buckler highlighted several insights from the forum. She noted that inclusive practice can manifest in various ways. ‘’People talked about mixing groups of students in lectures, creating a supportive community for their deaf sibling, mainstream schools inviting children from ‘special schools’ for play sessions, and so on,’’ she said. Moreover, she emphasised that a key takeaway is that “underpinning hugely diverse examples of inclusive practice are a fairly small number of key principles around empathy, communication, ubuntu, and seeing someone as whole instead of defining people by certain characteristics that align with inclusion policies.”

As the engagement session concluded, both Prof Mkwananzi and Dr Buckler expressed hope that stakeholders could learn from one another’s experiences, fostering a more inclusive educational environment.  

News Archive

The overall winner of the national Sêr is Veritas!
2015-09-01



Veritas
Photo: Johan Roux

Walking away with the top prize of R10 000 and bragging rights, the 2015 national Sêr champions were none other than Veritas. Hosted by Stellenbosch University, the biggest university music competition, the 2015 ATKV University Serenade Competition, was held on 28 August 2015. Sêr finalists from various universities in the country converged to witness the moment when the best a cappella group emerged with the crown.

Marjolein
Photo: Johan Roux

This is the fifth time that the residence is in the musical excellence spotlight. Veritas made its debut as national champions in 1997, and have proved adamant to expand their trophy collection as the 2001, 2003, 2010 and 2015 title holders.

Earlier in the month, Veritas had battled it out against Vishuis and Armentum at the university Kleinsêr for the privilege of representing the university nationally. Veritas has done the university proud at the nationals by triumphing once again over the hosts, Sonop, and Pieke from the University of Pretoria in the Best Self composed and Best Prescribed song categories.

Marjolein, the ladies’ title holders at the UFS, took second place in the ladies’ category. Although it was a tough competition, Marjolein still walked away with titles for Best Self Composition and Best Prescribed Songs.

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