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UFS and the University of Zambia launch transformative student delegation visit

20 November 2024 | Story Zinzi Zumana | Photo Supplied

UFS X Zambia 2024 — UFS and UNZA delegates engaged in a vibrant cultural exchange in Lusaka, Zambia, marking the beginning of a transformative partnership focused on student success, student well-being, and social justice.

The University of the Free State (UFS) and the University of Zambia (UNZA) have embarked on an inspiring international collaboration, with a delegation from the UFS touching down in Lusaka for a week of cross-cultural exchange and educational advancement. This visit – led by the Executive Director of Student Affairs at the UFS, Temba Hlasho – ran from 11 to15 November 2024 and brought together a select group of students and staff to engage in a transformative exchange aimed at strengthening the bonds between these two esteemed institutions.

At the heart of the UFS-UNZA partnership is a shared commitment to holistic student development and social justice. Both institutions seek to cultivate globally minded graduates who are ready to tackle regional and international challenges. The UFS has strategically aligned with UNZA in pursuit of these goals, recognising their compatible institutional visions and their mutual focus on student success, innovation, and building sustainable communities.

In its Strategic Plan for 2027, UNZA emphasises goals of excellence in teaching, research, community service, and digital innovation, while the UFS Vision 130 underscores a dedication to fostering holistic student success. Together, the two institutions are driving forward a vision that merges academic excellence with social responsibility and well-being.

The choice of Zambia as a partner is not accidental. With a deep history of solidarity dating back to the 1980s, South Africa and Zambia share a longstanding cultural connection, now improved by this educational partnership. This visit is rooted in the shared mission to empower the next generation, reinforcing both countries’ commitment to inclusive, thriving educational environments where young people can flourish.

The UFS delegation set out to accomplish several impactful objectives during their time at UNZA, including global collaboration and knowledge exchange, student support and wellness initiatives, commitment to social justice and community engagement, as well as leadership development and academic excellence.

This visit marks the beginning of an exploratory and reciprocal partnership that will extend well beyond the week. Moving forward, the UFS and UNZA will engage in sustained dialogue and collaborative projects across a range of student support initiatives, ensuring that each institution can evolve with new insights and strategies.

As the delegation visit unfolded, both the UFS and UNZA celebrated the dawn of a transformative partnership that bridges borders, unites cultures, and advances a shared vision for student success and social impact. This collaboration is poised to empower students with the skills and perspectives necessary to become leaders in their communities and on the global stage.

Together, the UFS and UNZA are setting a powerful example of international academic partnership, one that promises to foster impactful and lasting change for students, faculty, and the broader society.

News Archive

UFS academic delivers inaugural lecture on challenges confronting political science in the 21st century

2012-10-12

Prof. Hussein Solomon.
Photo: Stephen Collett
12 October 2012

Full version of the lecture

This week Prof. Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor in the Department of Political Studies and Governance delivered his inaugural lecture on the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS).

In his lecture, “Challenges confronting political science in the 21st century, A South African perspective”, Prof. Solomon explored five challenges to academic political science in general and to South African political scientists in particular.

The challenges include the need to localise international relations theory with an emphasis on the emancipatory dimensions; exploring the nexus between technology and politics; incorporating political anthropology into mainstream political science syllabi; rising to the challenge of governing Africa’s cities; and the dangers of over-specialisation in an era that demands the use of a broader academic lens.

According to Prof. Solomon, political science has come a long way from those heady days in 1950 when Lasswell could confidently state that politics was about who gets what, when and how.

“Indeed, the world of 2012 scarcely resembles the world of 1950. Immanuel Wallerstein was correct in his assessment that the modern world system is coming to an end. As political scientists, we need to interrogate our existing knowledge constructs in relation to this rapidly changing reality. We need to indigenise international relations theory and emphasise creating an emancipatory and counter-hegemonic discourse.

We need to explore the nexus between technology and politics to deepen our democracy by empowering the margins in our societies. We need to embrace political anthropology as we strive to understand non-Western forms of governance. We need to use these understandings of traditional societies as we create hybrid forms of urban governance that stress inclusivity as we overcome the politics of identity and difference. We need to heed the call of De Tocqueville and create a new political science to understand the new times by supplementing disciplinary insights with those from other disciplines. In doing so, political science will once more regain its relevance to humanity in the twenty-first century,” Prof. Solomon said.

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