Page 102 - University of Pretoria RESEARCH REVIEW 2018

The Mamelodi Collaborative –
a community anchor strategy
Nthabiseng Ogude, Dean: Mamelodi campus
UP’s Mamelodi campus is a unique environment defined by multiple community-linked interventions and research activities – all dedicated to broadening educational opportunities and strengthening the well-being of the community where it is situated.
Atwelve-month planning project between Rutgers University- Newark and the Mamelodi campus, called the Mamelodi Collaborative, led to the articulation of five research niche areas as the primary focus
of the anchor institutions’ strategy
in their respective communities. These are: i) broadening educational pathways; ii) leveraging arts and culture; iii) contributing to strong, healthy and safe neighbourhoods;
iv) encouraging entrepreneurship and economic development; v) and promoting interest in science and the urban environment.
The niche areas provide a framework for the academic activities of the campus through research projects associated with each area. Two of these projects are directly linked
to two of the global sustainable development goals: Goal 4 – quality education, and Goal 2 – zero hunger.
The Mamelodi Collaborative has identified space and place as key factors in enhancing student access and success. Research projects
thus build on student success initiatives at the Mamelodi campus and RU-Newark in order to broaden educational opportunities in both contexts. What could be regarded as UP’s most profound success story to date is the development of multi-level interventions at the pre-university level for school-going youth through after-school programmes and mentoring. Also central is the flagship extended curriculum programme which provides a structured intervention for those wishing to pursue degree studies in the natural and agricultural sciences, or in economics and management sciences.
The goal of pre-university interventions is to increase the number of first-generation graduates. It is anticipated that this will make
an important contribution to ending the cycle of poverty in families.
In partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education and Stats SA, UP is able to monitor tangible
change over time. In 2018, the school district from which students were selected for the pre-university programme was placed second in Gauteng in the final school-leaving results. The collected data is also used in comparative studies with the mirrored strategies of RU-Newark to keep a strong analytic focus on the evolution of strategies designed to broaden educational pathways.
A multidisciplinary Food Security project between UP’s Unit of Urban Citizenship and the Mamelodi campus has focused on establishing an
urban food and play garden on the Mamelodi campus. Also built into
the project is a feeding scheme for
the learners attending the after- school programmes, students in the extended curriculum programmes, and entrepreneurship opportunities for the residents of Mamelodi.
By harnessing UP’s research strengths, the projects present endless opportunities for engaged scholarship to all involved.
Kyle Farmby, RU-Newark
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