Launch of the Phambili self-development programme

Dear students

I hope that you are well and enjoying greater contact teaching at the University of Cape Town (UCT). It gives me great pIeasure to announce the launch of Phambili. Phambili is a general self-development programme aimed at supporting student academic recovery.

We are aware that the last two years have presented many challenges for learning, teaching and student achievement. Phambili has been designed by the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) education specialists to support students to get back on the path to academic success.

This programme supplements general and discipline specific support provided by the Faculties. For FECR (Progression requirements not met but allowed to continue) and RACC (Concession from Readmissions Appeals Committee to continue) students in the faculties of Commerce, Engineering & the Built Environment, and Health Sciences attendance in this programme is obligatory. Students in the remaining faculties have different programmes of support but they might in some cases also be referred to Phambili.

The programme is optional for students coded FECC (Concession from Faculty Exams Committee to continue) at the end of 2021.

The programme has three primary aims:

• emphasise student agency and responsibility in their success
• enable access to institutional resources and support
• help students develop individuals plans for recovery.

The programme’s objectives are to:

• motivate students to reconnect with their studies
• set out the expectations that the university has of students in this cohort
• highlight the responsibility that students have for their own success
• encourage students to reassess the goals and aspirations that brought them to university
• strengthen students’ help-seeking behaviour and confidence in their own agency
• emphasise a culture of care
• emphasise UCT’s commitment to enabling student success
• connect students to sources of information and support that may help with confronting the challenges identified
• explore the challenges that students experienced in the year(s) before for redesign of next year’s programme.

The programme will have two activities per term:

Plenaries and peer facilitated group sessions

Programme (term 1 confirmed, term 2 TBD)

There will be a live orientation event for Phambili in Beattie 114 from 17:30 to 18:30 on Tuesday, 8 March 2022.

The venue has limited capacity but the event will be live streamed.

Please register online for the programme. Places in the venue will be allocated on a first come first served basis and other attendees will be sent a link to the live event.

Queries can be sent to phambili@uct.ac.za.

I look forward to this programme supporting you in your studies.

Warm regards

Associate Professor Lis Lange
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements