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01 July 2025 | Story Precious Shamase | Photo Supplied
SACE
Signing of the MoU between SACE and the UFS, which took place at the SACE Head Office in Centurion, Pretoria. Pictured are Prof Loyiso Jita, Dean: Education, and Ella Mokgalane, SACE CEO.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has taken a groundbreaking step in teacher education, becoming the first university in South Africa to facilitate the provisional registration of its student teachers with the South African Council for Educators (SACE) before they embark on their crucial Work Integrated Learning (WIL) phase. This landmark achievement follows the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UFS and SACE, solidifying a collaborative commitment to regulatory compliance and professional development for future educators.

 

Direct SACE support for student teachers

In June 2025, SACE representatives, led by Harold Tlomatsana, the Provincial Head for SACE in the Free State Province, conducted a dedicated support visit to the Qwaqwa Campus. The purpose of their visit was to directly assist student teachers in completing their online provisional registration applications. The university's Faculty of Education, through its Teaching Practice Directorate, played a pivotal role in this initiative, graciously providing access to its computer laboratories to ensure a seamless and efficient registration process for all students.

This proactive approach ensures that all UFS student teachers are officially registered with SACE, a vital prerequisite for their upcoming July practice teaching component. It is important to note that this provisional registration is distinct from employment-related functions; rather, it stresses the commitment of both institutions to ensure that all aspiring educators are properly recognised and compliant with national standards before gaining practical experience in classrooms.

The signing of the MOU by Prof Loyiso Jita, Dean of the Faculty of Education, alongside SACE representatives, marks a significant milestone. It not only formalises the partnership but also highlights the UFS' dedication to upholding the highest professional standards in teacher training.

 

A national precedent set

Prof Thuthukile Jita, Director of the Teaching Practice Directorate (TPD), expressed her enthusiasm for this pioneering collaboration. "This initiative is a testament to the hard work and foresight of our team in the Faculty of Education and the TPD office," said Prof Jita. "By partnering with SACE, we are not only streamlining a crucial administrative process for our students but also setting a national precedent for how universities can ensure that their future teachers are fully prepared and compliant with professional regulations from the very outset of their practical training."

The positive impact of this initiative will resonate across all UFS campuses – Bloemfontein, South, and Qwaqwa – stressing the comprehensive reach of the TPD office under Prof Jita's leadership.

 

Formalising a key partnership: a culmination of continued collaboration

The recent signing of the MOU formal agreement representing not only a new beginning, but rather a culmination of robust, continued collaboration between the UFS and SACE. Both institutions have long shared a commitment to ensuring the highest professional standards for future educators. The MOU formalises and strengthens these existing ties, highlighting the UFS' dedication to upholding the highest professional standards in teacher training and streamlining critical processes for its students.

News Archive

Young academic receives BRICS research funding
2017-04-13

Description: Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli  Tags: Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli

Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli and Dr Victor Okorie
from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning
at the University of the Free State.
Photo: Rulanzen Martin

“It means a lot to me, as I am a young academic embarking on my postdoctoral research project. To be able to lead a team of researchers from various research institutions in South Africa is humbling.” This is what Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli had to say on being awarded a research grant by the South African BRICS Think Tank.

The think tank, in collaboration with the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), awarded the lecturer in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of the Free State (UFS) R150 000. She will spearhead a research project between BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) universities. “They have awarded me a three-month grant to facilitate a process of combining various research projects under the BRICS Academic Cluster,” Dr Mphambukeli said.

Platform provides collaboration

“The academic cluster provides a platform for researchers and academics to engage in ongoing collaboration,” she said. The grant will enable her and her research partner, Dr Victor Okorie, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the UFS, to put together a research proposal to be submitted at the end of May 2017. If successful, her team will conduct a research study across BRICS countries over a period of three years. It will be done in collaboration with various South African universities, who will form a team to collaborate with researchers from BRICS universities.

Great accomplishment for UFS
“The funds we have received are quite a great accomplishment for the UFS and our department,” Dr Okorie said. The UFS has become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to emerging issues in BRICS politics and policies. “Our project looks at the provision of ecosystems, agriculture, and security and the UFS was chosen as the host institution.”

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