Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
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

UFS obtains a court interdict
2008-03-07

The University of the Free State (UFS) today (Thursday, 6 March 2008) obtained a court interdict to maintain calm on the Main and Vista Campuses in Bloemfontein.

The interdict was obtained in view of the fact that a number of outside organisations are planning to hold mass demonstrations on the Main and Vista Campuses of the UFS in the coming weeks.

Since the publicising of the Reitz video, the situation on the Main Campus continues to be tense, with sporadic incidents of disruptions and intimidation. The campus is also in a period where students are writing tests and need to prepare for these tests.

The management is of the view that mass protests on the campuses under the current circumstances will worsen the already tense situation. We feel that it is important for our students to continue their academic work and to deal with the issue of the video in a constructive environment.

The interdict is supplementary to the previous one that was obtained by the UFS on 21 February 2008 and is applicable to all registered students for 2008, staff, and outside persons.

The interdict prohibits the following activities among others: a gathering, demonstration, picketing, the holding of a meeting, forming of a protest march or to convene in a group in the open air on any campus of the UFS.

Media Release
Issued by: Anton Fisher
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 3422
Cell: 072 207 8334
E-mail: fishera.stg@ufs.ac.za  
6 March 2008

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept