Power of Parents to be organised
Rhodes University is seeking to strengthen its ties to the Grahamstown community, in a variety of ways. One component of this is to organise the local parent body, that is, the parents of all local students.
A priority of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela, is to make Rhodes University more accessible to local young people, especially those who attend under-resourced schools. To this end, immediately after his inauguration Dr Mabizela initiated a multi-pronged university drive to revive public schooling in Grahamstown. Because of the parlous state of public schooling in the Eastern Cape in general and the deep divisions and inequalities that characterise the local schooling landscape specifically, it is recognised that the desired revival will require a sustained strategic effort.
Although it is still very early days, it is pleasing that the drive has both started strongly and is already showing signs of effectiveness. There are numerous university projects currently been implemented, many in partnership with Gadra Education. These are targeted at pre-schools, primary schools and high schools.
One of the strongest features of the initiative is the large number of student volunteers – there are approximately 700 Rhodes students involved in weekly volunteering. In this regard, I would like to applaud the sterling work of Di Hornby, who has led the Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) programme remarkably effectively. RUCE has coherence and relevance that is the envy of community engagement (CE) departments of all other South African universities.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Initiative is not only bearing fruit in relation to mobilising Rhodes students and shaping them into active engaged young citizens. It is also assisting more learners from under-resourced schools such as Ntsika and Mary Waters gain access to the university. The numbers of local students registered at Rhodes is approximately 750, which is almost 10% of the entire student body. Above I categorise these students according to the type of school that they attended.
Over the past three years, the Gadra Matric School (GMS) has risen dramatically, to become the university’s largest feeder school. Four years ago, there were no more 30 GMS alumni at Rhodes; today there are more than five times that number. Another important recent development is the increase in numbers of Ntsika alumni at Rhodes, but this has unfortunately been counteracted by a decline in the number of learners from other no-fee schools gaining access to the university.
In the short-term, the VC’s Initiative will aim to increase the number of students from no-fee schools from its current level of 133 up to 150 and then push towards 200.
The success of the university in becoming more accessible to local young people means that there is a large number of local parents and guardians of students. The importance of this consequence is appreciated when one recognises that local parents share two common areas of interest, namely their children/ dependants and the town (Grahamstown). These interests are elaborated below.
Parents want what is best for their children at all stages of their lives. When registered at Rhodes, specific aspects of concern include their academic progress, safety and security, and their physical and psychological health.
Grahamstown-based parents live their lives, establish and maintain their households, and attempt to develop economically in Grahamstown. Some members are directly employed by the university and others are indirectly employed. Many work in sectors of the local economy that exist because of the size and purchasing power of the student body. Because of the fundamental importance of Rhodes University to the local economy and society, it is in the interest of all local parents that the university both prosper and enhance its orientation towards the local community.
This commonality makes the body of local parents and guardians a crucially important stakeholder grouping in relation both to Rhodes University and the local community more broadly.
Rhodes has recognised this and therefore asked Gadra Education to facilitate the formation of an independent Parents’ Forum. It would be premature to predict the effectiveness of the forum in advancing the interests of their children or the town, but the mere fact that it is being established is another important indication that Rhodes is serious about giving content and substance to its commitment to the community of Grahamstown.
• Ashley Westaway is the manager, Gadra Education.