A group of more than 100 enthusiastic Rhodes University students will be mentoring matric students from two Grahamstown township schools in a drive to boost their university entrance pass rate.
The nine-tenths programme is one of several key programmes being driven by Vice-Chancellor Sizwe Mabizela in an initiative called Reviving Grahamstown Schools.
The name of the programme is derived from French poet, journalist and novelist Anatole France, who famously said: “Nine tenths of education is encouragement”.
The programme is based on a “mentoring for success” model.
“Everyone should have an equal opportunity for a good education, and it should sit uncomfortably with all of us until we act to achieve this,” Mabizela said.
He said he annually witnessed how many pupils battled to attain the level of education they needed to achieve a matric or university entrance pass.
“As an institution of higher learning we cannot sit and watch when young people among us are condemned to a life without hope; a life of despair because of the education system’s failure to provide them with the education they need and deserve.
“We must brighten the corner where we are,” he said during his inauguration address last month.
Some 227 pupils at the two pilot high schools – Mary Waters and Ntsika – will participate.
Director of the Rhodes community engagement office Di Hornby said 114 volunteer student mentors from second year upwards would be paired with the pupils.
“Each student pairs with two pupils, with whom they will have nine one-on-one mentoring lessons during the course of this year.”
The mentoring lessons are based on an accredited short course during which the students are trained to mentor the pupils.
Rhodes University’s Faculty of Education, together with educational NGO Gadra, designed the short course which includes a number of modules.
“We are aiming for an 80%-90% matric pass rate at these schools and at least 25% of the pupils from these two schools achieving an university entrance pass at the end of this year, which equates to about 40 pupils,” Hornby said.
“We want to build the two pilot schools into centres of excellence, from which our mentor-based programme can be extended to other schools in Grahamstown, the Eastern Cape and nationally.”
Rhodes students set to mentor township matric pupils
The nine-tenths programme is one of several key programmes being driven by Vice-Chancellor Sizwe Mabizela in an initiative called Reviving Grahamstown Schools.
The name of the programme is derived from French poet, journalist and novelist Anatole France, who famously said: “Nine tenths of education is encouragement”.
The programme is based on a “mentoring for success” model.
“Everyone should have an equal opportunity for a good education, and it should sit uncomfortably with all of us until we act to achieve this,” Mabizela said.
He said he annually witnessed how many pupils battled to attain the level of education they needed to achieve a matric or university entrance pass.
“As an institution of higher learning we cannot sit and watch when young people among us are condemned to a life without hope; a life of despair because of the education system’s failure to provide them with the education they need and deserve.
“We must brighten the corner where we are,” he said during his inauguration address last month.
Some 227 pupils at the two pilot high schools – Mary Waters and Ntsika – will participate.
Director of the Rhodes community engagement office Di Hornby said 114 volunteer student mentors from second year upwards would be paired with the pupils.
“Each student pairs with two pupils, with whom they will have nine one-on-one mentoring lessons during the course of this year.”
The mentoring lessons are based on an accredited short course during which the students are trained to mentor the pupils.
Rhodes University’s Faculty of Education, together with educational NGO Gadra, designed the short course which includes a number of modules.
“We are aiming for an 80%-90% matric pass rate at these schools and at least 25% of the pupils from these two schools achieving an university entrance pass at the end of this year, which equates to about 40 pupils,” Hornby said.
“We want to build the two pilot schools into centres of excellence, from which our mentor-based programme can be extended to other schools in Grahamstown, the Eastern Cape and nationally.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos