UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT POLICY

UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT POLICY

Table of Contents 1. Preamble 3 2. Purpose of the Policy 4 3. Scope of the Policy 4 4. Policy Thrusts 5 4.1 Academic Programmes 5 4.2 Scholarship (includes Teaching, Research and Community Engagement) 5 5 Support for and Recognition of Staff involved in Community Engagement 5 6 The Development of Sustainable Co-operative Partnerships with Communities and Service Sector 6 7 Community Engagement and Quality Assurance 6 8 Enabling Mechanisms to Embed Community Engagement 7 9 Definition of Terms 8 10 References 10 2

1. Preamble Community Engagement Policy of University of Limpopo (UL) is premised on the mission of the university, viz. A world-class African university, which responds to education, research and community development needs through partnerships, and knowledge generation-continuing the long tradition of empowerment. The Policy recognises the continuous challenge faced by UL in addressing the needs of African rural communities through innovative ideas. This challenge necessitates UL becoming a robust and responsive university that uses its teaching, research and community engagement capacities to make a meaningful contribution to the development of communities within its reach. The Policy thus envisions community engagement through an approach that is increasingly and continuously integrated with teaching, learning and research. The Policy has taken into account the intentions and stipulations contained in the following: The Education White Paper 3: A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education, Department of Education, 1997; The Higher Education Act, No. 101 of 1997; The Higher Education Qualifications Framework, Government Gazette, 5 October 2007; The Criteria for Institutional Audits, Higher Education Quality Committee, Council on Higher Education, 2004; The Manual for Institutional Audits, Higher Education Quality Committee, Council on Higher Education, 2007; UL Academic Quality Assurance Policy Framework; UL Teaching and Learning Policy; Related UL Research Policies; UL Rural Development and Innovation Hub Founding Document. 3

2. Purpose of the Policy The purpose of this Policy is to: regulate the processes of exchanging and transferring knowledge, expertise and experiences between UL and community development initiatives; ensure that sustainable institutional support is available for the development and implementation of community engagement initiatives; ensure that community engagement is managed, co-ordinated and facilitated effectively at all academic and support services levels of UL; integrate community engagement with the teaching, learning and research activities of UL; provide a means to build relevant multi-stakeholder partnerships with civil society, government and business; nurture existing, and the promotion of new community engagement initiatives; advance social transformation and development in higher education; establish a sustainable quality co-operative partnerships with communities and the relevant service sectors; enable UL to fulfil its mission as a responsive developmental university within the context of the requirements of higher education legislative and policy framework; ensure that all university staff and students interacting with the broader community in the university s name do so within the context of the vision and mission of UL. 3. Scope of the Policy This Policy applies to community engagement initiatives undertaken by UL. 4

4. Policy Thrusts The Policy differentiates between the following academic initiatives: 4.1. Academic Programmes The following activities are identified: Internships, clinical practice and work-based education in community settings and other community-based forms of professional training; Community service learning modules (core, elective and foundation); and compulsory practical work and mandatory community service as required by legislation. 4.2. Scholarship (includes Teaching, Research and Community Engagement) The following activities are identified: research projects (such as contractual research) with and in communities; consultation services within a community context; the initiation and management of community development projects by UL staff and students; and short courses and workshops for community members. 5. Support for and Recognition of Staff involved in Community Engagement Within the context of particular challenges associated with the implementation of community engagement, sustainable support for and recognition of the achievements of staff are regarded as priorities. Appropriate recognition of and credit for staff involved in community engagement is integrated into performance management system of UL ensuring 5

growth in the status of community engagement in line with that of teaching and research. 6. The Development of Sustainable Co-operative Partnerships with Communities and the Service Sector Well co-ordinated sustainable partnerships with communities and the service sector are of strategic importance; and UL strives for the setting up of sustainable responsive and co-operative partnerships that are mutually beneficial to all parties involved. Sustainable co-operative and contextualised partnership-building approaches are pursued, ensuring maximum community and service sector participation and decision making in a transparent and accountable manner. UL undertakes to empower its staff and students in partnership-building, ensuring that good practices are adhered to. The earmarking and sustainable allocation of strategic funding for community engagement initiatives is a priority for UL in strengthening its community engagement agenda. 7. Community Engagement and Quality Assurance Under the guidance of UL Quality Assurance Unit, community engagement is subjected to the same quality assurance processes as all other activities of UL. Quality assurance of community engagement takes into account the contributions of the communities and service sector, as well as their assessment and evaluation of community engagement initiatives. The policy endeavours to continuously make use of benchmarking and user surveys studies for review and best practices purposes. Quality is enhanced by the enthusiasm and dedication of individual staff and students. 6

8. Enabling Mechanisms to Embed Community Engagement Establishing a university presence through an office for Community Engagement. Appointment of senior and support staff for operationalising Community Engagement. Establishing institution wide and faculty based committees responsible for Community Engagement. Including Community Engagement in staff promotion and reward systems. Resourcing and capacity building for Community Engagement initiatives. 7

9. Definition of Terms Community refers to specific, collective interest groups, conjoined in their search for sustainable solutions to development challenges, who participate or could potentially participate as partners in the similarly inclined community engagement activities of UL. Community engagement refers to continuously negotiated collaborations and partnerships between UL and the interest groups that it interacts with, aimed at building and exchanging knowledge, skills, expertise and resources required to develop and sustain society. It also implies employing the scholarly expertise and resources of UL to render mutually beneficial services to communities within a context of reciprocal engagement and collaborative partnerships. Developmental Engagement implies a dynamic, interactive endeavour aimed at ensuring positive outcomes within communities and to maximise the quality of life of those involved. Partnership refers to collaborative engagement between two or more parties sharing a similar vision, aimed at reaching a common goal by devising and implementing a mutually agreed to modus operandi while maintaining their respective identities and agendas. Service: Within the context of social transformation at a higher education institution service entails social accountability and responsiveness to development challenges through the core functions of teaching ad research in close co-operation with communities and the service sector within the spirit of mutuality and reciprocity. Service learning: An educational approach involving curriculum-based, credit-bearing learning experiences in which students participate in contextualised, well-structured and organised service activities aimed at addressing identified service needs in a community, and reflect on the service experiences in order to gain a deeper understanding of the 8

linkage between curriculum content and community dynamics, as well as achieve personal growth and a sense of social responsibility. Service sector refers to any actor responsible for service delivery on or to the community. This includes the public and private sectors as well as non-governmental organisations. 9

10. References Council on Higher Education (2002). Higher Education Quality Committee: Founding Document. Pretoria: Council on Higher Education. Council on Higher Education (2004). Criteria for Institutional Audits. Pretoria: Council on Higher Education. Council on Higher Education (2007). Manual for Institutional Audits. Pretoria: Council on Higher Education. Department of Education (1997). White Paper 3: A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education. Government Gazette No. 18207, 15 August 1997. Pretoria: Government Printers. Ministry of Education (2001). National Plan for Higher Education. Pretoria: Ministry of Education. Republic of South Africa (1997). Higher Education Act No. 101 of 1997. Government Gazette No. 18515, Notice 1655, 19 December 1997. Pretoria: Government Printers. 10

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