Analysis of the Nine-Tenths Mentoring Programme’s role in decolonising higher education in Makhanda
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21504/ajhece.v1i3.2524Keywords:
epistemological access, community engagement, mentoring, decolonisation , Nine-Tenths Mentoring Programme, higher education accessAbstract
This research critically examines the potential and limitations of the Nine-Tenths Mentoring Programme at Rhodes University as a tool for decolonising higher education and enhancing epistemological access for historically disadvantaged students in Makhanda, South Africa. Initiated in 2016, the programme targets Grade 12 learners from under-resourced, no-fee schools, aiming to increase their chances of entering higher education. While the programme has successfully improved Bachelor-level pass rates and local enrolment at Rhodes, this study argues that true access involves more than just university admission. Conducted in 2021, the study uses qualitative data from 12 in-depth interviews with former Nine-Tenths mentees at various levels of study, ranging from undergraduate to postgraduate. The paper explores how the programme facilitates epistemological access, defined as the ability to engage meaningfully with academic knowledge, and its role in the decolonisation of higher education. Findings reveal that while Nine-Tenths bridges the gap between secondary and tertiary education, students continue to face substantial challenges upon entering university, including socio-economic obstacles, language barriers, and feelings of alienation within a historically white institution. While the programme marks progress toward decolonisation, deeper institutional transformation is necessary to achieve epistemological equity and create a truly inclusive academic environment. This paper concludes with recommendations such as enhanced first year support systems, targeted socio-economic interventions, and curriculum reforms that embrace diverse epistemologies. By emphasising the need to move beyond mere access to ensure meaningful inclusion and success, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on decolonisation in South African higher education, and the urgent need for systemic transformation in historically exclusionary institutions.
References
Ajayi, J. F., Goma, L. K. H., Johnson, A. G., & ACU. (1996). The African Experience with Higher Education. Ohio University Press.
Ashby, E. (1966). Universities: British, Indian, African. Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
Ashby, E. (1964). African Universities and Western Tradition. Harvard University Press.
Albertus, R. W. (2019). Decolonisation of institutional structures in South African universities: A critical perspective. Cogent Social Sciences, 5(1), 1620403. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2019.1620403
Badat, S. (2004). Black student politics, higher education, and apartheid: From SASO to the Fallists. In T. D. S. M. Jansen & L. P. Z. M. Jansen (Eds.), Education after apartheid: South African education in transition. Van Schaik, p. 143–168.
Badat, S. (2010). The challenges of transformation in higher education and training institutions in South Africa. Development Bank of Southern Africa, 8(1), p. 1–37.
Basebenzi, H. (2019). Commemorating South Africa’s Labour Movement. Retrieved from https://www.saha.org.za/workers/economic_research_committee_what_is_the_use_of_teaching_the_bantu_child_mathematics_when_he_cannot_use_it_in_practice_there_is_no_place_for_him_in_the_european_community_above_the_level_of_certain_forms_of_labour_verwoerd_1953.htm
Bhagwan, R. (2018). University-community partnerships: Demystifying the process of engagement. South African Review of Sociology, 49(3–4), p. 32–54.
Boughey, C. (2005). ‘Epistemological’ access to the university: An alternative perspective. South African Journal of Higher Education, 19(3), p. 230–242.
Bunting, I. (2006). The higher education landscape under apartheid. In N. Cloete, P. Maassen, R. Fehnel, T. Moja, T. Gibbon, & H. Perold (Eds.), Transformation in higher education, Springer, pp. 35–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4041-4_3
Christie, P., & Collins, C. (1982). The politics of education in South Africa: From the Bantu education to the post-apartheid education system. South African Journal of Education, 2(1), p. 1–18.
Council on Higher Education. (2004). The state of higher education in South Africa. Council on Higher Education.
Davies, J. (1996). The state and the South African university system under apartheid. Comparative Education, 32(3), 319–332.
Department of Education. (1997). Education White Paper 3: A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education. Pretoria: DoE.
Eiselen, W. (1953). Report of the Commission on Native Education, 1949-1951. Pretoria: Government printer.
Fanon, F. (1967). The Wretched of the Earth. Penguin.
Fricker, M. (2007). Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing. Oxford University Press.
Jansen, J. (2004). The changing role of South African higher education. The South African Journal of Higher Education, 18(2), p. 213–230.
Lazar, J. (1987). Conformity and conflict: Afrikaner nationalist politics in South Africa (DPhil thesis). University of Oxford.
Le Grange, L. (2016). Decolonising the university curriculum. South African Journal of Higher Education, 30(2), pp. 1–12.
Le Grange, L., Du Preez, P., Ramrathan, L., & Blignaut, S. (2020). Decolonising the university curriculum or decolonial-washing? A multiple case study. Journal of Education (University of KwaZulu-Natal), 80, p. 25–48.
Maniram, R., & Maistry, S. M. (2018). Enabling well-being and epistemological access through an authentic assessment intervention: A case study of a higher education programme. South African Journal of Higher Education, 32(6), p. 305–325.
Mann, S. J. (2001). Alternative perspectives on the student experience: Alienation and engagement. Studies in higher education, 26(1), pp. 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070020030689
Marshall, M. N. (1996). Sampling for qualitative research. Family practice, 13(6), pp. 522–526. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/13.6.52
Maylam, P. (2005c). Rhodes University: colonialism, segregation and apartheid, 1904–1970. African Sociological Review, 9(1), pp. 14–22.
Maylam, P. (2016). ‘Oxford in the bush’: The founding (and diminishing) ethos of Rhodes University. African Historical Review, 48(1), 21–35.
Maylam, P. (2017). Rhodes University, 1904–2016. Grahamstown: Rhodes University.
Mbembe, A. J. (2016). Decolonizing the university: New directions. Arts and humanities in higher education, 15(1), pp. 29–45. https://doi,org/10.1177/1474022215618513
McCann, C., Talbot, A., & Westaway, A. (2021). Social capital for social change: Nine Tenths Mentoring Programme, a solution for education (in) justice in South Africa. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 16(1), pp. 45–59.
Moll, I. (2004). Curriculum responsiveness: The anatomy of a concept. In H. Griesel (Ed.), Curriculum responsiveness: Case studies in higher education (pp. 1–19). South African Universities Vice-Chancellors Association.
Morrow, W. (1994). Entitlement and achievement in education. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 13, pp. 33–47.
Morrow, W. (2007). Learning to teach in South Africa. HSRC Press.
Morrow, W. (2009). Bounds of democracy: Epistemological access in higher education. HSRC Press.
Ndlovu-Gatsheni, S. J. (2018). Epistemic Freedom in Africa: Deprovincialization and Decolonisation. Routledge.
Perold, H. (1998). Community service in higher education: Final report. Joint Education Trust.
Rhodes University. (2018). Rhodes University Institutional Transformation Plan 2019-2022. Retrieved from https://www.ru.ac.za/media/rhodesuniversity/content/equityampinstitutionalculture/documents/ITP_Final_Draft_(004).pdf
Rhodes University. (2019). Reviving Grahamstown Schools Vice Chancellor’s 2020 Plan. Rhodes University.
Showkat, N., & Parveen, H. (2017). Non-probability and probability sampling. Media and Communications Study, pp. 1–9.
Slonimsky, L., & Shalem, Y. (2006). Pedagogic responsiveness for academic depth. Journal of Education, 40(1), pp. 37–58.
Spaull, N. (2015). Schooling in South Africa: How low-quality education becomes a poverty trap. South African Child Gauge, 12(1), pp. 34–41. https://ci.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/content_migration/health_uct_ac_za/533/files/Child_Gauge_2015-
Schooling.pdf
Tuck, E., & Yang, K. W. (2012). Decolonisation is not a metaphor. Decolonisation: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 1(1), pp. 1–40 Retrieved from https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/18630
Westaway, A. (2019). Partnership and innovation drive 65% increase in township Bachelors. Grocott’s Mail. Retrieved from https://www.grocotts.co.za/2019/01/15/partnership-and-innovation-drive-65-increase-in-township-bachelors/
Wilmot, D. (2019). Fixing South Africa’s public schools: Lessons from a small-town university. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/fixingsouth-africas-public-schools-lessons-from-a-small-town-university-113206
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Nigel Machiha
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
