University-community-government Engagement: Insights from the Funda Ujabule Teaching School in South Africa

Abstract

Community engagement has become an essential component of university partnerships aimed at improving education and promoting social development. This paper explores how community engagement is implemented in the collaboration between the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Funda UJabule Teaching School in Soweto. The Funda Ujabule is a unique model in South Africa, as it is both a foundation school and a teaching school, located on the university campus in a largely working-class area of Soweto, Johannesburg. Academics who were part of its conceptualization and execution have evaluated the school. However, this article is an outsider's examination of the school and its practices, using the triple helix framework.  The research draws on qualitative data obtained through interviews with 3 Faculty members involved in CE initiatives at UJ, two School Management Team (SMT) members, two Educators working in the Foundation Phase, two community members (1 food handler and 1 School Governing Body (SGB) member), and one fourth-year student. The findings indicate that the collaboration promotes community engagement through service-learning projects, literacy initiatives, parental workshops, and outreach programmes that foster a reading culture and support community development. In addition, the data demonstrates that the university maintains active engagement with both the school and the broader community. The findings are interpreted through our Triple Helix framework, which conceptualizes collaboration among universities, government, and community to address complex social challenges.