The university made an announcement on its Twitter Page on 13 March 2021 that the online registration process for first-year students has been extended to Friday 19 March 2021. 

Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, Prof. Francis Petersen, briefed the media virtually on Monday, addressing a number of measures that the UFS has implemented with regard to financial support for students, as well as the academic programme. Petersen addressed the extension of online registration processes for senior undergraduate and first-year students, the adjustment of the academic calendar, as well as financial concessions that have been made to assist students in registering. Classes for senior students commenced on 1 March.

“We have been engaging with the institutional Student Representative Council (SRC) on a continuous basis with respect to challenges that UFS students experience during registration. Firstly our senior students and then to a certain extent also our first-year students,” says Petersen. 

Regardless of difficulties faced by students during the online registration period, Petersen emphasises that the institution has been engaging with these students electronically by email, assisting them through email support and provide them with help. 

Kamohelo Seleke, Deputy Secretary-General: UFS SRC, previously told OFM News that many students are frustrated using the online method as they cannot opt to physically go to campus to sort out problems. Seleke further added that students are not able to register using the online system. He further concludes that the institution's management is completely "divorced from reality faced by students".

Petersen further says students who experienced connectivity or data challenges were brought back to register at university. “[As] we’re in lockdown level one, one would expect that [we would be easing the number] of people on campus, we have decided that we are going to manage the number of staff and students on campus through our teaching and learning programme. Our teaching and learning programme for the first semester of 2021 is going to be a blended model, a model where students will be working online as well as being taught face to face,“ he says. With the roll-out of the 2021 academic programme and the teaching and learning model, the number of students on campus will be limited.

Petersen says the way students on campus will be managed is through a permit system throughout the year. Students coming to class will be issued a permit. He says if students have problems with online classes they need to take it up with their faculty and will be issued a permit to get help on campus. Petersen says he is hopeful that the institution will get their last percentage of their first-year students registered this week. “Since the UFS is aware that some students (particularly senior undergraduate students) have been experiencing challenges to register for several reasons, and also that this has created unprecedented levels of anxiety among students and staff, a number of measures were taken, such as additional staff capacity. “I am satisfied that faculties are now dealing with questions and queries in an effective way. All the faculties are doing well with the registration of students. Certain faculties have already registered 100% of their senior undergraduate students, while the registration rate of other faculties is above 80%. Dedicated teams in faculties and academic support services are assisting to accelerate the registration process,” says  Petersen.

OFM News/Blaine Jones