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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.
Seasoned international pianist appointed at the OSM
2016-02-05
Dr Grethe Nöthling |
The Odeion School of Music is delighted to welcome Dr Grethe Nöthling as a new member of its dynamic performance faculty.
Dr Nöthling has been appointed as principal piano lecturer. She has won several national music competitions, and is the recipient of numerous awards and bursaries, including the University of South Africa overseas scholarship for teachers in 2003.
Musician and pedagogue par excellence
From 1989 to 2005, Dr Nöthling performed as soloist with all major South African Symphony Orchestras. She obtained a Bachelor of Music Degree (magna summa cum laude), specialising in Performance from the University of Pretoria under the tutelage of Professors Ella Fourie and Joseph Stanford.
She furthered her studies in the United States of America at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she received a Master’s of Music Degree in 2008 under the guidance of Daniel Shapiro and Paul Schenly.
Dr Nöthling obtained a Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree (2014) from the University of Iowa (UI) in the USA under Professor Uriel Tsachor. During her studies at the U of I, she was awarded a teaching assistantship, and performed with the university’s New Music Ensemble. During a ten-year residency in the USA, she has performed extensively as both soloist and chamber musician.
Inspiration for aspiring musicians
“It is my hope to be an inspiration for young and upcoming musicians both as pedagogue and performing artist. In order to consider the unique gifts and challenges of every individual student, I am of the opinion that is imperative to be very flexible and adjustable from a methodological and musical perspective,” said Dr Nöthling.