By Ephreeda Banda
Nelson Mandela Day, observed annually on 18 July, honours the iconic South African leader by encouraging ordinary people to emulate his legacy of social justice, reconciliation, and investment in education. This year, the Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) office focused on supporting local schools in underserved communities with a generous donation of educational materials.
Partnering with Khutliso Daniels Secondary School, Nombulelo Secondary School, and Nyaluza Secondary School, Rhodes University sought to provide mathematical literacy textbooks to each school's learners. The University prides itself on being locally responsive and building meaningful community university partnerships which are respectful and mutually beneficial.
The collaboration between Rhodes University and the secondary schools involves meticulous planning, coordination, and assessment of the specific needs of each school.
Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor Professor Sizwe Mabizela, said, "Today we are marking an important day for uTatu Nelson Mandela, and one of the things we have committed ourselves to is to advance his ideals, which is to ensure that young people in this city have access to quality and transformative education. We are therefore working with various schools to support their teaching and learning programmes. We are telling them, 'You have a partner in Rhodes University; we will work with you to do well, and we want you to get a 100% pass rate, get good mathematics marks, and go to university'."
Donating textbooks will provide these schools with essential educational resources, enabling teachers to enhance their curriculum and students to access a broader range of learning materials. By addressing the scarcity of textbooks, Rhodes University has taken a significant step towards reducing educational disparities and ensuring that students in underserved communities have an equal opportunity to excel academically.
"We have been working with all the high schools, primary schools, and early childhood development centres in Makhanda for the past eight years, and this has helped us create a pathway for young children who come into schooling intending to get good marks and get into university," said Diana Hornby, the Director of RUCE. She further reflected on how, after Prof Mabizela was inaugurated in 2015, he repositioned the university as being 'of' and 'for' the city, not just geographically located in the city and made a commitment to the local community to help revitalise public education in partnership with other education stakeholders. To achieve this, he established the VC Education Initiative with a number of carefully planned interventions across the schooling pathway. From there on, Makhanda moved from being one of the worst-performing districts in South Africa academically to being the best-performing city in the Province for three consecutive years.
In seven years, the Grade 12 matric pass rate has risen by 23% to 85% in 2022, well above the provincial and national average. In 2022 Khutliso Daniels got an 88.9%, ranking them 2nd in all public schools in the city; Nombulelo got an 87.4%, ranking them 3rd, while Ntsika got 82.8%, ranking them fifth. And for the first time, Nombulelo Secondary School, a non-fee-paying school, had the highest number of Bachelor passes, with a whopping 80 Bachelor's admission.
Gadra Education, a local NGO, has also greatly assisted in conceptualising programmes and managing this growth. Moreover, the collaboration between Rhodes University and Makhanda's secondary schools is a shining example of the power of partnership and community engagement.
Analo Jack, Khutliso Daniels Secondary School's RCL Deputy President, showed much gratitude towards Rhodes University as he reflected on the many challenges of not having enough textbooks for every learner present. He said the students must share books, which denies them time to grasp the required knowledge gained from textbooks. Khanya Mdoko, the RCL President of Khutliso Daniels, added that this means a lot to them as being a large group of learners adds more pressure to them with the shortage of textbooks.
The impact of this collaboration extends beyond the recipients of the textbooks. It inspires other organisations and institutions to come forward and contribute to the betterment of local communities. Rhodes University sets an exemplary standard by actively engaging with neighbouring schools and demonstrating that meaningful change can be achieved through targeted, well-planned collaboration and shared commitment to education.
"We have received continuous support from Rhodes University over the years. However, this one is special as it marks the Mandela Day Act of Kindness Initiative," added the Principal of Khutliso Daniels Secondary School, Mr Radio Mcuba.