By Ashton Maherry

During the 2023 Siyaphumelela Conference, Rip Rapson, President and CEO of the Kresge Foundation, announced funding for the third phase of the Siyaphumelela Initiative. This new phase is designed to promote and embed student success practices within South African higher education. Saide will continue to serve as the backbone institution, leading and managing the Siyaphumelela Network 3.0.

At the end of 2023, all South African Public Higher Education Institutions were invited to submit proposals to become Partners in the Siyaphumelela 3.0 Network. Out of 22 universities that submitted proposals, 19 were accepted, with one institution receiving a planning grant to submit a full proposal at the end of 2024. Each accepted institution will receive a grant of $240,000 over three years, with partners officially welcomed during the 2024 Siyaphumelela Conference.

Since its inception in 2014, the Siyaphumelela Network has grown from an initial group of five universities to 20 grantee institutions the University of the Free State, the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of Pretoria, Nelson Mandela University and the Durban University of Technology) to 20 grantee institutions (see list of 20 partner institutions at the end of this news alert). These include four historically disadvantaged institutions and UNISA, thus expanding the focus on student success to distance education. The Siyaphumelela initiative is thus positioned to have a profound impact of student success in higher education in South Africa.

Institutions that are not formally part of the Siyaphumelela Network 3.0 can still engage through regional sub-network workshops which are open to all universities, the annual Siyaphumelela student success conference, subscription to the Siyaphumelela newsletter, as well as by accessing online resources like short learning programs available on the Siyaphumelela web site: https://siyaphumelela.org.za/pathway24.php

Siyaphumelela Network 3.0 by numbers

 

 

South Africa is the only country, outside of the US where the Kresge Foundation works. Since 1989, they have invested nearly $40 million in South Africa’s higher education, particularly focused on improving postsecondary student throughput rates.

 

       

 

About Siyaphumelela Network 3.0 (2024 -2027)

The Siyaphumelela Network 3.0 builds on the previous phases, aiming to advance equity and improve student success across South African higher education. Key objectives include:

• Establishing a more student-centred culture in South Africa’s higher education system to enhance student success;
• Achieving annual targets to improve retention, course success and throughput, eliminate disparities based on race, gender and socio-economic status;
• Strengthening institutional capacity to collect use student data for evidence-based decision-making to improve student success across the higher education system;
• Consolidating and sharing evidence-based student success practices on a national level - support interventions, use of data, improving teaching and learning and fostering institutional transformation; and
• Embedding the student voice in student success initiatives.

Using a collective impact approach, Siyaphumelela is transforming how universities serve students within institutions and across South Africa.

Siyaphumelela Network 3.0 design

Figure 1, below, illustrates the various components of the Siyaphumelela 3.0 Initiative design.

 

 

Key to Figure 1

^{1. Advisory Committee: Siyaphumelela’s Advisory Committee with representatives of national bodies, including NSFAS, DHET, USAF, CHE, SALDRU’s Siyaphambili and experts in the field of student success.}

^{2. Saide as backbone institution: Continues to provide conceptual leadership and be responsible for the overall management of the Siyaphumelela 3.0 Network.}

^{3. Work streams: In which Partners from selected institutions collaborate to address common student success issues, design interventions, and research and develop short learning programmes based on the workstream’s focus area}

^{4. International and national networks: Partners have the opportunity to participate in the annual Achieving the Dream conference in the US, and the annual Siyaphumelela national conference in South Africa.}

^{Convenings: Two convening meetings are held per year in which all Partners engage to collaboratively develop solutions focused on student success.}

^{Regional networks. All Partner institutions have the opportunity to engage in two regional network workshops annually to share promising practices.}

^{5. Evidence-based practices for student success:Saide will take the lead in working with Partner institutions to create learning pathways and to support the development of activity-based short learning programmes.}

^{6. Siyaphumelela Network 3.0 Partners: The objectives and activities of the Siyaphumelela Partner institutions, supported by funding from The Kresge Foundation, include the following:}

• ^{Continual examination of institutional factors and practices that either support or hinders student success}
• ^{Establishing a broadly representative student committee if one is not yet in place (new partner institutions)}
• ^{Strengthening, standardising and integrating data analytics}
• ^{Full participation in Siyaphumelela Network activities}
• ^{Reviewing and intervening in high-impact modules}

^{7. Coaches: Coaches will play a vital role in supporting the three new Partner institutions, helping them enhance and integrate student success initiatives. Additionally, they will assist previous Siyaphumelela institutions that have requested support for their ongoing student success efforts.}

Siyaphumelela Network 3.0 Grantees

New Kresge grantees

• Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• Central University of Technology
• North-West University
• Rhodes University
• Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
• Sol Plaatje University
• Stellenbosch University
• Vaal University of Technology
• University Venda
• Walter Sisulu University
• University of Johannesburg
• University of South Africa

Previous Kresge grantees

• Durban University of Technology
• Nelson Mandela University
• University of Cape Town
• University of KwaZulu-Natal
• University of Pretoria
• University of the Free State
• University of the Western Cape
• University of the Witwatersrand

Conclusion
Siyaphumelela Network 3.0 continues to lead a national movement for student success, driving innovation and equity across South African higher education through collaboration, data-driven insights, and a student-centred focus.