Rhodes University spearheads first education summit

Discussions will focus on ECD, primary learning

Rhodes University is will host the Makhanda Education Summit, led by vice-chancellor Prof Sizwe Mabizela, on January 27 and 28.

The summit will focus on early childhood development (ECD) and primary and secondary schooling phases.

Makhanda achieved an 80% pass rate and more than 300 bachelor passes among 824 candidates and the summit aimed to capitalise on these successes, the university said in a media release.

“With a hyper-local focus, the event is designed to foster partnership and collaboration, seeking innovative strategies to benefit the local education sector further and improve overall educational outcomes in Makhanda.”

The summit is set to welcome participants from local schools, educational non-profit organisations (NPOs), Makana Municipality leadership, Eastern Cape department of education representatives, and various institutions, including Rhodes

University, that have supported the education sector.

The event is an outcome of the vice-chancellor’s initiative (VCI), a collaborative educational development partnership involving Rhodes University’s faculty of education, the Rhodes University community engagement (RUCE) office, the centre for social development (CSD), and NGOs such as GADRA Education and the Makhanda Circle of Unity.

“The summit aims to bolster city-wide educational partnerships and celebrate the significant achievements of these organisations over the past decade,” the university said.

Over the past eight years, the VCI has played an essential role in supporting various education projects that have improved the outcomes of some schools in Makhanda.

It has partnered with entities such as the Rhodes Business School to provide leadership development support for schools in the city and increased the number of local students who can access higher education learning at Rhodes University.

The two-day event will be opened by Mabizela, followed by presentations from the summit planning committee, which has conducted thorough situational analyses of the ECD, primary, and secondary school phases in the latter half of 2023.

Participants will engage in various sessions to deliberate on these findings and explore additional developmental opportunities.

Summit Details:

Date: January 27-28

Location: Eden Grove Building, Rhodes University

Time: 9am

Contact: Sakhe Ntlabezo s.ntlabezo@ru.ac.za.

For catering and logistical arrangements, kindly RSVP at

The summit aims to bolster city-wide educational partnerships