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27 October 2025
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Story Sefako Mokhosoa
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Photo Supplied
Ten Grade 12 learners from Mampoi Secondary School in Phuthaditjhaba.
On 1 October 2025, the Projects and Innovation Directorate in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State (UFS) proudly hosted a certificate ceremony to honour ten Grade 12 learners from Mampoi Secondary School in Phuthaditjhaba on the Qwaqwa Campus. These learners completed a Skills Development Initiative and Workshop Series focused on digital literacy and ICT skills – a programme designed to equip rural youth with the tools they need to thrive in a digital world.
The initiative, which ran from May to August 2025, was made possible through a strategic partnership with BANKSETA to bridge the digital divide in rural communities. The learners received hands-on training in essential digital tools. Each learner also received a tablet to support continued learning and personal growth beyond the classroom.
The Director of the office in the Faculty of Education, Dr Kwazi Magwenzi, stressed that digital skills promote independence and self-directed learning. “Grade 12 is a time when learners should manage their studies, meet deadlines, and explore their options,” she said. “Digital fluency supports that autonomy. It enables learners to use online research, interactive tools, e-learning, and collaboration platforms to make learning more effective, flexible, and aligned with their pace and style. In Grade 12, where the stakes are high – with exams, tertiary entrance, and career choices – this ability helps learners become more self-directed, confident, and equipped.”
The programme not only built learners’ confidence in using ICT tools for learning and communication but also prepared them for the technologically driven environments they will encounter in institutions of higher learning.
Beyond developing digital skills, the project offered learners valuable exposure to the university environment, as their training took place on campus. Inspired by the success of this pilot, the Faculty of Education now aims to expand the initiative to reach more schools and learners across the region. The vision is to scale up access to digital education and empower more young people in rural areas with the skills necessary for academic and professional success.
This ceremony marked the conclusion of a successful training programme and the beginning of a long-term commitment to digital empowerment and lifelong learning in rural communities.
Drama department presents shows to promote literature
2009-03-09
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The Department of Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of the Free State is presenting two stage plays based on prescribed works in an effort to make literature more accessible to senior school learners. Reza de Wet’s Mis, prescribed for Grade 12 learners, was presented from 2 to 6 March 2009 in the Wynand Mouton Theatre. More than 18 school groups attended the performances during the morning and the afternoon, while the evening shows were scheduled for the general public. Michelle Luwes, former drama student and local teacher, directed the play. The production will tour to Klerksdorp, and negotiations for performances in Potchefstroom are under way. Another stage play based on Die Potlooddief en die Engel by A.S. van Staden, prescribed for Grade 11 learners, will be presented from 18 to 20 March 2009 in the Scaena. Pieter Venter, a researcher on youth theatre and lecturer at the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, directed the production. Pictured are some of the learners who watched Mis.
Photo: Emmie van Wyk
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