Makhanda Education Summit: A New Chapter for a Rising Education Hub

Makhanda has spent more than a decade rebuilding its education system and this past weekend’s Education Summit at Rhodes University signalled just how far the city has come. Leaders from Early Childhood Development centres, primary schools and high schools gathered to celebrate major gains and push for solutions to the challenges that remain. The Summit continued the work that began in 2013, when the city then called Grahamstown was ranked the 10th worst-performing education district in South Africa. Since then, a collaborative turnaround driven by Rhodes Vice-Chancellor Professor Sizwe Mabizela, GADRA Education and other partners has transformed the landscape: Literacy is soaring: A 2023 city-wide assessment found that 40% of Grade 4 learners can read for meaning, more than double the national figure of 19% (PIRLS 2021). Drop-out rates are falling, with a 20-percentage-point improvement in just three years. Matric results have surged, from around 60% a decade ago to 80% today. It’s a rare good-news story in South Africa’s education sector one showing what’s possible when a community pulls together. Phemelo speaks to GADRA Education’s General Manager and Rhodes University Council Member Dr Ashley Westaway to unpack the city’s progress and the road ahead.