Makhanda school boasts 52 Rhodes graduates in a year
A tiny “second chance” matric school is making a big difference in Makhanda, with more than 50 of its alumni graduating from Rhodes University this year.
Gadra Matric School in 2015 became Rhodes University’s single biggest feeder school and is now its single biggest producer of graduates.
This year, a record 52 Gadra alumni graduated from Rhodes in a single virtual graduation ceremony in April.
“Gadra now produces considerably more Rhodes graduates than any other single school, public or private,” Gadra education manager Dr Ashley Westaway, said.
It achieved this milestone despite the academic challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and the accompanying lockdown.
Gadra Matric School was started for pupils wanting to improve their marks in selected National Senior Certificate subjects, with the goal of acquiring the required points to gain access to a university.
Westaway is over the moon with the progress it has made.
“We’ve come a helluva long way to get here.”
The strategy was carefully and deliberately plotted over almost a decade.
Westaway said the school had realised it was not enough just to improve pupils’ matric marks, but had to find a way to ensure these improved marks directly benefited them.
“We deliberately sought to reposition the school and change its character from being an all-purpose second chance school to a top-end bridging institution. We wanted more of our students to perform well enough to gain meaningful access to Rhodes University, which is the premier university in the Eastern Cape, for a bachelor’s degree study.”
To do so, it introduced enrichment programmes to give all its pupils the academic skills to cope with university.
Westaway says its advanced writer skills and computer literacy training had the biggest impact.
It simultaneously built a partnership with Rhodes University. In 2016, Rhodes vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela invited Gadra to conceptualise a bridging programme that allowed deserving students to register for one or two university credits while simultaneously improving their National Senior Certificate at Gadra.
Mabizela has now appointed Gadra to head his university initiative to revitalise public schooling in Makhanda.
One student who benefited from Gadra’s enrichment and bridging programmes is Linda Rulumeni.
She started at Gadra in 2015 after her matric results were not good enough to get her past university waiting lists.
“Gadra restored our confidence and made us believe that we could make it. And guess what? We did!”
Rulumeni was one of the 52 record graduates this year; she obtained her BSC honours. She is working as a geospatial and environmental management intern and plans to do her Master’s degree to help her reach her dream of becoming an acknowledged GIS technician.
Mabizela said the 52 graduates had “taken full advantage of the opportunity presented to them”.
“I salute Gadra for the tremendous work they are doing in assisting these young people to regain their confidence and dignity after having struggled with their matric year.”
Gadra made us believe we could make it. And guess what? We did