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UFS responds to posts trending on Twitter on 4 June 2020

04 June 2020 | Story Lacea Loader

It has come to the attention of the University of the Free State (UFS) that false and inaccurate statements have been circulating on Twitter on 4 June 2020, claiming that its students were not equipped or supported to study remotely during the COVID-19 lockdown. The UFS believes that it is important to engage in dialogue to correct any misconceptions and inaccuracies that are at risk of being perpetuated.

Contrary to these reports, the UFS has invested much time and resources in the development and deployment of low-tech online and distance approaches to learning and teaching. Since March 2020, the university has undertaken extensive measures to support its students after classes were suspended and to ensure the continuation of the academic programme.

Statements on Twitter include a number of inaccuracies, which the university wants to correct:

• The Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) was not suspended by the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen. In fact, the university management regularly meets with the ISRC on matters of concern to them. Student representatives also serve on a number of institutional committees – both before and during the national lockdown.
• No deregistration of any students has taken place.
• Since the end of April 2020, structured and managed data was provided to students to obtain access to academic content as well as to the academic platforms for free. However, to access this free data, students need to download the GlobalProtect app – this was communicated numerously and explained to students. The university’s ICT Services will provide video and technical guides to all students to assist them with downloading the app.
• As of June 2020, all allowances for which students qualify and which are approved by NSFAS, have been paid by the university.
• Although online learning provides a solution to continue with programme delivery, the university is deeply aware of the fact that access may be a barrier – especially during these extraordinary times. To assist vulnerable students, a total of 3 500 laptops have been procured by the UFS, enabling the university to assist eligible students in accessing the online platforms, obtaining learning material, and engaging with lecturers. The university is in the process of distributing the laptops to students who qualify. The Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation’s process to provide laptops to students is separate from the 3 500 laptops procured by the UFS.

The UFS remains committed to supporting its students in response to COVID-19 and is looking forward to working as a community to prepare for the institution’s response to the new challenges of responsibly returning to campus life from June 2020 onward. As staff and students start returning to the institution in a phased approach this month, the UFS will continue to comply with all applicable governmental directives and health guidelines to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of its students and staff.

Released by:
Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Marketing)
Telephone: +27 51 401 2584 | +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za

News Archive

Afromontane Research Unit makes climate change inroads

2017-10-28

Description: Prof Mukwada Tags: Prof Mukwada

Prof Geofrey Mukwada

The Afromontane Research Unit (ARU) has recently made inroads in climate-change research. This has been achieved through work published by Professor Geofrey Mukwada and Professor Desmond Manatsa, whose research could make it possible to predict El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) several months before its occurrence.

Professor Manatsa is an ARU postdoctoral fellow currently collaborating with Professor Mukwada on an ongoing climate-change research project. The two experts noted that ENSO is one of the most important climate phenomena on earth, due to its ability to change the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn, influences temperature and precipitation across the world.

Climate change scientific breakthrough
“This is a tremendous breakthrough, because humanity as a whole has been looking for answers regarding the origins of climate-related hazards which are worsening, yet becoming more frequent and difficult to predict. In some cases, floods and droughts occur in the same season, and within the same geographical area. These extreme climate events are becoming more frequent, often leading to loss of life and threatening national economies and livelihoods,” said Professor Mukwada, coordinator of the ARU sub-theme on Living and Doing Business In Afromontane Environments.

During an interview with the Southern Times, Professor Manatsa revealed that the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is initiated and sustained in the tropical Pacific, a fact that has eluded climate scientists for years. “It was an unresolved puzzle which limited the successful prediction of ENSO events with reasonable lead time. Climate scientists were only able to know with some degree of certainty that the event would occur once it had started, just a few months before its impacts were felt,” Professor Manatsa said.

Prof Manatsa is upbeat that a lot of headway has now been made towards unravelling the mystery of ENSO’s origin. “The necessity of the inclusion of the solar energy changes due to ozone alterations in the upper atmosphere should significantly impact on the realistic version of ENSO in climate models. This in turn should not only provide more accurate ENSO forecasts for the region, but a longer lead time for users to prepare for the event,” he said.

ENSO is a climate phenomenon based in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Its events bring good rains and even floods over most parts of the world in some years and droughts in others, depending on whether the phenomenon is in a warm or cold phase. The warm phase is referred to as El Nino, when the waters over the tropical east Pacific are heated up, but when cooled, it is termed La Nina. La Nina was responsible for the favourable rains over much of Southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, during the 2016/17 rainfall season. The El Nino occurrence a year before had devastating drought effects that was characterised by scorching heat and widespread water shortages. This work was published in a high-profile journal, Nature Scientific Reports.

ARU is a flagship inter- and trans-disciplinary research programme focusing on the under-researched area of montane communities. It was launched in June 2015 and is based on the Qwaqwa Campus.

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