A delegation of University of the Free State (UFS) staff members represented the University at the annual
Siyaphumelela Conference, where they shared details of UFS initiatives aimed at boosting student success.
Nine staff members represented the UFS at the conference, held from 23 to 26 June 2026 in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni. Organised by
Saide (formerly the South African Institute for Distance Education), the event saw its 20 public South African higher education partner institutions sharing various student success initiatives, with the aim of understanding how institutions can better provide equitable opportunities for students across South Africa.
Led by Saide with support from the
Kresge Foundation, Siyaphumelela is a data-driven national collaboration launched in 2014 to improve student success across South Africa’s post-school education and training sector.
The initiative supports institutions to improve access, retention, progression, graduation, and work-readiness through strengthening teaching and learning, building institutional capacity to collect and use data, amplifying student voices, and sharing innovative practices across the higher education system.
UFS presentations at the 2026 Siyaphumelela Conference included topics such as evidence-based leadership for scaling student success, tracking student success, and the relationship between student engagement and employability. UFS attendees included staff members from the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), the Faculty of Education, and UFS Career Services.
PhD candidate Bonolo Napo, who was selected to represent the UFS as a
DREAM scholar, shared insight into the struggles that formed part of her academic journey, through her poem titled
Darkness was my first classroom: “I failed tests, cried in silence, battled loneliness. But also found people who reminded me that support changes lives.”
Professor Francois Strydom, Senior Director of the CTL, summarised the efforts of this initiative and the UFS’ collaborations with the various institutions during his presentation. “The reason Siyaphumelela succeeds is because our students are not just passive attendees but active participants,” he said, adding that, “If you don’t believe in this work, you will change nothing.”
The event was preceded by a leadership forum that facilitated interaction between public and private stakeholders and was attended by UFS stakeholders including Professor Strydom; Professor Ylva Rodny-Gumede, Executive Director: Advancement; and David Marupen, Head: Fundraising and Alumni Relations.