Mamelodi Community of Learning Collaborative (MCLC)

As part of the planning phase of the Mamelodi Collaborative, the UP Mamelodi Campus hosted a workshop on 5 February 2019, in which it engaged in the reciprocal exchange of ideas with 43 stakeholders, as well as its international partner, Rutgers University-Newark, to develop a model to enhance the post-secondary opportunities for the residents of the Mamelodi Township.

The Director of the Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC), Dr Reggie Lewis, together with two of his staff members, presented the model of the NCLC to the stakeholders. 

The workshop, a first of its kind in the Mamelodi community, endorsed the lessons learned from the NCLC. A decision to formalise and strengthen a network of all key roleplayers working in the Mamelodi education ecosystem provisionally called the Mamelodi Community of Learning Collaborative (MCLC), was adopted.

The MCLC enables the UP Mamelodi Campus to collaborate with the Gauteng Department of Education's Tshwane District South and a network of stakeholders to achieve the goal of broadening educational pathways by providing academic enrichment programmes and alternative academic pathways to other tertiary institutions in the Mamelodi Precinct such as the universities of technology and training and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges.

A Steering Committee to drive the adoption, translation and development of this model for the Mamelodi community was established.

In her opening remarks at the workshop, the Director of the Gauteng Department of Education's Tshwane District South reported that her district, which includes the schools in Mamelodi and surrounding areas, was the best performing district in the entire Gauteng Province, based on the matric pass rate for 2019. It also performed second-best nationally. These achievements are, in part, the result of the partnership between the department and the Mamelodi Campus in its pre-university interventions. This observation underscored the significant success of the efforts of the campus and its community partners in assisting the local school system to improve access and success in the Mamelodi schools.

As part of enhancing the post-secondary school-going culture, the campus, together with its partners, plan to focus on awareness and readiness. Initiatives to promote awareness include career interest tests, a career fair, career advising, parental education, placement and a credit transfer system through the formulation of articulation agreements and a credit transfer system with TVET colleges and universities of technology.

A career hub that will serve as an information centre for residents and learners will be launched in 2020, while a post-secondary readiness programme consisting of academic curricular support and soft skills will be available. Please contact Ms Ida Meyer ([email protected]) in this regard.