By The Division of Communication and Advancement
In pursuing knowledge, pioneers often draw inspiration from the Chinese proverb that it's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. There is no doubt that darkness surrounds us as a society – inequality, poverty, crime, ignorance and prejudice – to name but a few. However, instead of retreating to defeat, all it takes is a moment of awareness, reflection, and resolve to light a candle in the midst of the darkness. Lighting a candle forces us to focus on the sphere in which our influence lies. Its flicker and gentle glow are signs of hope and warmth.
Over the past decade, Rhodes University and its partners have achieved remarkable progress in education, surpassing even our most ambitious expectations. Through a strategic and focused plan, this partnership continues to brighten the light in every corner of the city, bringing about positive change and fostering a globally engaged, locally responsive approach to education. Makhanda has set a template for the entire educational landscape of South Africa.
The genesis of this journey began in 2013, when Makhanda, previously known as Grahamstown, was declared the 10th worst-performing education district in the country. Recognising this as the crisis it was, the first primary and secondary school principals' forums were convened within months to drive solutions and intervention programmes collectively.
The Makhanda Principals' Forum, a microcosm of our collaborative efforts, identified the urgent need for leadership training in 2015. Our response, a partnership with the Rhodes Business School, birthed an accredited Leadership Course - a model for cultivating leadership in the educational landscape nationwide. This has been sustained for the past eight years.
Since the inauguration of Professor Sizwe Mabizela as Vice-Chancellor in 2015, the vision for an educational institution that would be in Makhanda and of and for Makhanda was birthed. This intention was borne from the conviction that a university should be an integral part of the community in which it is situated. The vision was clear – seeing Makhanda as the centre of academic excellence, from early childhood development to the university level.
The then-new Vice Chancellor convened various networks of education experts, from both within and outside the university, to work together to uplift the standard of schooling in the city. The multi-faceted programme that has blossomed from these initial engagements has become known as the Vice-Chancellor’s Education Initiative. Over the past nine years, the strategic focus has been to foster communities of excellent practice in the schooling sector, to identify and build schools of excellence in the no-fee sector and to mobilise the Rhodes University student body to engage effectively to drive solutions to the schooling challenges in the city. This is a blueprint for educational reform in South Africa.
Different structures were established in many forums, with numerous stakeholders, and in various corners of Makhanda to strengthen the blueprint. It has been heartening to experience everyone pulling in the same direction, united by a common purpose. This includes University staff, education officials and civil society structures across the town. The Makhanda Circle of Unity - an apolitical, multi-stakeholder civil society coalition has been an impressive vehicle for people to strategise and create solutions collectively.
Rhodes University partnered with GADRA Education and the Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) to support matriculants from underperforming local schools who failed or performed poorly in Matric in gaining access to the university as students. Our mentoring programme immediately boosted matriculants' performance and contributed to increased Bachelor passes. In 2021, the programme won the MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship. The prize recognises exemplary university student civic engagement programs around the world.
The programme is now operated by over 100 trained Rhodes students who provide mentorship. It spans four faculties and incorporates approximately 40 students annually. The general improvement of the city’s fee-exempt schools and the mentoring bridging programme has seen a massive increase in the number of disadvantaged students accessing full-time study at Rhodes University. The number has increased more than tenfold, from 12 in 2011 to approximately 150 in 2023. This is a statistic that we are incredibly proud of.
Makhanda achieved an 80% pass rate and more than 300 bachelor's passes among 824 candidates in the 2023 matric examinations. A recent comprehensive study by Rhodes University and GADRA Education on the literacy rates of Grade 4 learners in Makhanda measured the comprehension skills and reading ability of more than 1000 children in all the public primary schools in Makhanda. The outcomes reveal that 40 per cent of Grade 4 children in the city can read for meaning. This is significantly higher than the 19% national reading rate in the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) report.
Our vision is for Makhanda to emerge as the leading academic educational centre and city in South Africa by 2028 and to be recognised as such, affording all local children and young people the benefit of good quality and relevant education at pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
We believe that the milestones we have achieved through strategic interventions and partnerships should ignite a nationwide conversation on how universities can play a pivotal role in democratising access to quality education.
This is a clarion call for reflection and inspiration for all of us to engage our communities actively and shape a future where universities are not just located in a city but form an integral part of the community within that city.
Makhanda’s story beckons us to contemplate the possibilities that arise when a community unites, an academic institution engages, and a shared, progressive vision serves as a roadmap.
We must reimagine education as a collective responsibility, where success is measured in grades and the transformation of lives and communities. As we celebrate the milestones achieved, we also embrace the future with a renewed commitment to fostering education as the cornerstone of a brighter, more equitable society.
Together, let us light the way forward, forging a path where every child, regardless of their background, can benefit from the power of transformative education.