Collaborative Service-Learning Partnerships between Government, Community and University for Implementing Social Change

Abstract

Community Engagement, the third pillar of Higher Education, requires South African universities to engage in projects that benefit society. Service-Learning, a form of community engagement, is a powerful pedagogical tool that lends itself to the enrichment of diversity and conceptualisation of innovative curriculum activities towards the positive transformation of students, academic staff and the broader society. Meaningful government and community partnerships are assets for universities who strive for relevant engagement with communities. In Service-Learning triad partnerships, the government, university and community stakeholders collaboratively conceptualise Service-Learning projects. These partnerships are composed of representatives from diverse institutional cultures and individual backgrounds. Through Participatory Action Research (PAR), the systems approach is applied to understand and critically examine the interconnectedness between the aims and objectives of government, community and the university. Service-Learning partnerships can be viewed as a powerful tool for actualizing community development strategies; moving these from policy to implementation in communities. This paper encourages universities to build meaningful partnerships with external stakeholders through service-learning projects. By engaging actively with their partners, universities could strengthen their Service-Learning initiatives and partnerships.