Ivainashe Nyamutsamba
On 10 February, the University of Pretoria welcomed 8500 first-year students. This welcoming ceremony took place at the Rembrandt Hall on Hillcrest Campus. Prof. Themba Mosia, UP’s interim vice-chancellor and principal, expressed his gratitude to the parents, guardians and families that have made it possible for the class of 2023 to be a part of the UP global academic family. Prof. Mosia also congratulated the first-year students on earning a position at one of South Africa’s leading tertiary institutions and showed appreciation for their decision to choose UP.
UP’s 2024 first-years achieved remarkable matric results, with some boasting seven or more distinctions and scores of 95% and above. UP has attracted gifted students such as Pretoria Boys High’s Takura Kufakunesu, who achieved ten distinctions, and Zonke Thwala from Siphesihle Secondary School in KwaZulu-Natal, who received seven distinctions and is studying accounting sciences. Furthermore, Sheliza de Wet and Wian van Rooyen, Gauteng’s top two matric students, will both be studying medicine at UP. Prof. Mosia assured everyone in attendance at Welcome Day, “As an institution committed to academic excellence, we know that every student can thrive here at UP.”
The Welcome Day served as an opportunity for the university to introduce its vast array of structures that help students to thrive. This includes the Fly@UP campaign: an initiative dedicated to helping students succeed and graduate in the minimum amount of time. The Fly@UP campaign is dedicated to supporting students with planning, time management and meeting deadlines. The goal is to encourage students to invest more time in their studies and to engage with lecturers and peers, ensuring that students fully understand the study material. Fly@UP has contributed to a 93% undergraduate pass rate.
Prof. Mosia emphasised the importance of keeping one’s health in check. He acknowledged the challenges that students will face on their academic journey and urged them to make use of the various support services UP offers, such as academic and study support as well as emotional support, including stress management and mentorship. Furthermore, Prof. Mosia expressed the importance of ubuntu: “When you see others around you are not coping, help them access what they need. We all need to remember the spirit of ubuntu, the African ethic which says that a person is a person because of other people. And may you, our new cohort of students, take that forward with you into your life journey.”