By Busuku Ntombekhaya and Dideka Njemla
The Department of Economics and Economic History at Rhodes University recently hosted a Community Engagement Academic Literacy Workshop, welcoming Grade 11 learners from TEM Mrwetyana Secondary School.
This workshop formed part of the ongoing Academic Literacies Initiative, established in 2022 by Dr Sandile Phakathi and Nwabisa Malimba. As part of this initiative, they visit the school weekly to teach Economics students for 45 minutes, focusing on developing their academic literacy skills.
Reading and writing practices form a fundamental part of all educational experiences. Within the university context, these are best understood as academic literacies shaped by the specific disciplinary context in which they occur. The motivation for initiating this project stemmed from the observation that many first-year students struggled with academic reading and writing. Phakathi and Malimba recognised the importance of introducing academic literacies earlier in learners’ schooling to prepare them for the demands of university better.
They aim to bridge the gap between high school and university practices, particularly for learners from public schools such as TEM Mrwetyana Secondary, and to support a smoother academic transition.
Professor Jen Snowball, head of the Economics Department, welcomed 34 learners to the two-hour academic session at Eden Grove. In her opening address, Snowball emphasised the importance of applying economics in real-life situations and highlighted how understanding this subject can make a difference in people’s lives. “At universities, we ask the challenging questions and try to learn ways to make a difference in the world. So, we are not just studying theory, we are studying something that will make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.
Photo: Dideka Njemla.
During the workshop, Phakathi welcomed Rhodes University’s Community Engagement Director, Diana Hornby, and acknowledged the unit’s funding and support’s vital role in the programme’s success.
Reflecting on the university’s ongoing commitment to the Makhanda community, Hornby said, “I want to take you back to 2015, when our current Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela, was inaugurated. In his speech, he made some promises to our community, and the first thing he said was that Rhodes University is not just geographically located in this town, we are of and for this town.”
She further emphasised the importance of collaborative partnerships, “We are intrinsically bound, and when you are bound like that, you’ve got to find ways to collaborate to grow together.”
Malimba highlighted that language barrier as one of the key challenges in implementing the project, so they use multilingualism to get the message across. “We try to code-switch and encourage learners to ask questions in their home languages. Through our teachings, we instil in them that academic literacy is not about English. For instance, students don’t need to speak English fluently to understand that it is important to back your claims with evidence or acknowledge someone else’s work.”
Photo: Dideka Njemla
Dedicated tutors, Milani Mgaga, Sabelo Shabalala, and Sibulele Teyi, play a vital role in supporting this project. They work closely with staff to assist learners in developing key academic literacies.
Thando Mpolweni, one of the economics teachers involved, noted the programme’s positive impact and highlighted that students now better understand the importance of referencing correctly and writing academically.” As part of the project’s sustainability plan, Mpolweni will gradually take over academic classes, while Phakathi and Malimba will expand the initiative to reach other schools.
Their long-term objective is to extend this transformative programme to more schools across the Eastern Cape.
