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06 March 2025 | Story Tshepo Tsotetsi | Photo Supplied
Human Rights Month 2025
UFS: Promoting human rights and empowering equality every day.

As we celebrate Human Rights Month, the University of the Free State (UFS) remains committed to fostering a campus culture where human rights are actively upheld and respected. This ongoing dedication aligns with Vision 130, a guiding principle that drives the UFS’s efforts in creating an inclusive, equitable environment for students, faculty, and staff.

 

Fostering a human rights-centred education through Vision 130

At the heart of the UFS’s mission is Vision 130, a strategic framework aimed at positioning the university as a leader in inclusivity, social justice, and academic excellence. It ensures that the university’s commitment to human rights and equality is reflected not only in academic programmes but also in everyday student and staff interactions.

For students like Nomathemba Mhlafu, a final-year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Psychology, these principles resonate deeply. “Honestly, it’s about having the right to education and access to resources,” Mhlafu says. “The fact that I can come here, study, and actually get my degree? That’s everything.”

 

Human rights: A shared responsibility

The promotion of human rights at the UFS is not only an institutional effort but one that includes students, faculty, and staff. Martie Miranda, Head of the UFS’s Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS), emphasises that promoting inclusivity for persons with disabilities requires a unified effort. She underscores that staff must provide accessible communication, including principles such as using clear, simple language in written and verbal communication and ensuring that alternative formats for documents, such as braille, large print, or digital versions, are available.

Miranda stresses the importance of respect and awareness. “Students need to treat students with disabilities with respect and dignity, being mindful of ableism and microaggressions,” she says. This everyday care practice ensures that all students, regardless of ability, can thrive.

Similarly, Oratile Lentsela, CSRC for Universal Access, advocates for a campus that embraces all students, regardless of background or ability. “We must continue to raise awareness and remove barriers to learning,” she says. “This includes creating more accessible spaces and improving support services.”

 

The role of students in shaping a human rights-conscious campus

Students are at the core of shaping a campus that is both human rights-conscious and inclusive. Dr Annelie De Man, Division Coordinator of the Advocacy Division at the Free State Centre for Human Rights, says, “Students have an indispensable role to play in ensuring that they are not only aware of the rights that they possess as human beings, but also the means available to them in situations where their rights are not respected, protected, and/or fulfilled.”

 

According to Dr De Man, students can contribute by:

• Creating or joining student associations that advocate for human rights.
• Educating peers on human rights and redress mechanisms through workshops and discussions.
• Demonstrating inclusivity and respect by fostering a welcoming environment for students from diverse backgrounds.
• Engaging in social justice discussions and contributing to solutions for addressing injustices.

• Providing peer support and guiding affected students to appropriate reporting channels when human rights violations occur.

Furthermore, the Human Rights Ambassadors programme, an initiative led by the Advocacy Division, empowers students to take the lead in promoting human rights within their residences. Ambassadors organise events such as poetry performances, debates, and awareness campaigns to inspire a culture of human rights on campus.

 

Public engagement as a step forward in human rights advocacy

As part of its ongoing efforts, the Free State Centre for Human Rights continues to host a variety of events to promote human rights awareness. Dr De Man highlights the importance of events like public lectures, seminars, and workshops in raising critical discussions about human rights. One such event is the centre’s first annual public lecture on 19 March 2025, which will feature Prof JL (Loot) Pretorius presenting on ‘Courts, Human Rights, and Democracy’.

“The collaboration between the different divisions of the centre allows us to engage the wider university community on issues of great importance,” Dr De Man notes. The upcoming lecture will provide a platform for the UFS community to reflect on the intersection of law, human rights, and democracy in South Africa.

 

A rights-conscious campus for all

A commitment to human rights is integral to both the UFS’s daily operations and long-term vision. Through initiatives like the Human Rights Ambassadors, the work of CUADS, and student leadership, the UFS continues to build a campus environment that prioritises equality, inclusivity, and social justice.

Mhlafu says this commitment extends beyond academics for her. “I had an injury once and went to Kovsie Clinic for help. It’s a service that’s always available to students, every day,” she explains. “That was a moment where I really saw how important the right to healthcare is. You don’t think about it until you need it, and when you do, it makes a huge difference.”

In line with Vision 130, the UFS remains steadfast in its dedication to providing every student with the resources, education, and support they need to succeed. With human rights at the forefront of every effort, the UFS is creating a campus where all individuals are empowered to thrive, ensuring that respect, dignity, and equality are not just ideals but a lived reality.

News Archive

UFS hosts Commonwealth universities
2005-08-25

The University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein will host delegates from 14 universities across the Commonwealth next week as part of a programme to measure and promote excellence in university management.

The workshop will be held from Monday, 29 August to Wednesday, 31 August 2005 as part of the Commonwealth University Management Benchmarking Programme, run by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

It is the first time that the UFS will host the workshop and the second time that it is held in South Africa. 

“The purpose of the programme is to promote and measure excellence in university management.  Unlike other university benchmarking programmes that focus on matters such as research output, the programme run by the ACU follows a process benchmarking approach and aims to identify and promote best practice and quality assurance,” said Prof Magda Fourie, Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the UFS.

According to Prof Fourie the programme runs on an annual basis and works on a quality improvement cycle.  Every year certain areas of university management are evaluated by a panel of international assessors.  This year it focuses on strategic planning, recruitment and retention of staff, and branding. 
If weaknesses are identified, plans are compiled which should result in  an upward spiral of continued quality improvement.

“The UFS has been taking part in the programme for the past five years.  Last year we fared particularly well with the evaluation of our change management and engagement with the community,” said Prof Fourie. 

“The ACU benchmarking programme is a useful forum in which we can measure ourselves against  our peers.  It will also help us to prepare for the audit of the effectiveness of our quality assurance policies and systems, which will be conducted in October 2006 by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council for Higher Education (CHE),” said Prof Fourie.

Other universities that will take part in the workshop include the Leeds Metropolitan University, the University of Glamorgan in the United Kingdom, the University of Northern British Columbia in Canada, the Central Queensland University, the Monash University in Australia, and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).


Media release
Issued by:  Lacea Loader
   Media Representative
   Tel:  (051) 401-2584
   Cell:  083 645 2454
   E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
25 August 2005
 

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