Rhodes to host education summit
Aim to continue improving outcomes at Makhanda schools
Rhodes University is set to host a groundbreaking Makhanda Education Summit on January 27 and 28 next year, spearheaded by vice chancellor Prof Sizwe Mabizela.
In contrast to the city’s decline due to poor municipal service delivery, organisations and individuals have worked tirelessly to keep the area from collapse and to contribute meaningfully to their sectors.
“From education advocacy groups to basic and higher education institutions, a variety of stakeholders have dedicated years of work towards strengthening and enhancing the quality of education across the town,” the university said.
Over the past eight years, the Vice-Chancellor’s Initiative (VCI) has played a vital role in supporting projects that have improved the outcomes of several schools in Makhanda and increased the number of matriculants who have been able access higher education learning at Rhodes and elsewhere.
This is in contrast to many other regions in the Eastern Cape, which is one of the worstperforming provinces in public education.
The summit will focus on knowledgesharing and collective strategising in the early childhood development (ECD), primary, and secondary schooling phases, aimed at benefitting primarily the local education sector.
It will be a ground-level collaboration of best practices, focusing on the progress in the education sector in Makhanda over the past 10 years and exploring new pathways to develop it further.
The summit will be attended by representatives from local schools, education NPOs, the Eastern Cape education department, and a range of institutions that have supported the sector and university.
Makhanda reading ability higher than national average
A recent comprehensive study on the literacy rates of Grade 4 pupils in Makhanda, conducted by GADRA Education and the Rhodes Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education measured the comprehension skills and reading ability of more than 1,000 children in Makhanda’s public primary schools.
The outcomes revealed that 40% of Grade 4 pupils in Makhanda can read for meaning – significantly higher than the 19% national reading rate revealed in the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report.
While celebrating this, the summit will engage on strategies to ensure a substantial increase in the number of Grade 4 pupils who can read for meaning and calculate with confidence.
“The Makhanda Education Summit marks a critical reflection point for education stakeholders in the city of Makhanda and the beginning of a bigger journey ahead,” the university said.
“It will be a moment to demonstrate what is possible through partnership and collaboration and affirm Makhanda’s position as one of the country’s leading centres of educational excellence.”