Mandela Rhodes Scholarship Programme
The goal of the Mandela Rhodes Scholarships Programme is to offer educational opportunities to all African citizens with scholastic, intellectual and leadership potential to study at suitable tertiary institutions in South Africa.
This African scholarship, combined with the foundation's leadership skill training for scholars, aims to create a network of principled future leaders, with the capacity and will to advance themselves and their countries.
The Scholarship Programme intends to give expression to the legacy of academic excellence, leadership skill, education, reconciliation and entrepreneurship.
An African Scholarship to address the needs of Africa
As set out in the Guiding Principles of the Mandela Rhodes Scholarships, we believe that order to achieve its full potential; Africa needs a critical mass of leaders with exceptional intellectual capacity, but also with character, integrity, and commitment.
The Mandela Rhodes Foundation bases its work on the belief that a shortage of individual human skills is a significant factor holding South Africa and Africa back from achieving the necessary levels of good governance and growth to allow the continent to take its rightful place in the globalised world. Through its signature scholarship programme, The Mandela Rhodes Scholarships, it seeks to address this need.
It is the vision of The Mandela Rhodes Scholarships Programme to have brought into being by 2015 a considerable network of leaders, with different educational expertise but similar leadership capacity, who support and inspire each other and who are distinguished by their ability to:
- Facilitate individual and social development,
- Promote peace and reconciliation,
- Pursue fundamental human freedoms,
- Promote prosperity, honour and respect for the continent and its people.
To achieve this vision, The Mandela Rhodes Scholarships Programme offers full Scholarships to scholars-elect, who will be registered at suitable universities within South Africa. The scholarship is combined with a holistic developmental programme, which runs during selected university holidays for the Scholars.
The Strategy for the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship Programme
The strategy of this African Scholarship programme entails the following:
- A written set of Principles, Characteristics and outcomes for a Mandela Rhodes Scholar, which reflect the Mandela Rhodes legacy.
- Recruitment and selection systems which are transparent, ethical, efficient and effective.
- Induction and orientation systems, which conscientise and socialise Scholars-elect about the principles and other requirements of the Mandela Rhodes Scholarships.
- Short leadership skill training courses in tandem with study programmes are run during University holidays over the period of study.
- Mentoring, coaching and support systems which foster accountability from Scholars. This system is consistent with the principles underlying the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship programme.
- Coordinated communication channels between and among Scholars, institutions involved and Mandela Rhodes Scholarships Programme.
- A clear set of criteria which reflect the suitability of institutions to admit and register Scholars-elect.
- Formative and summative evaluation initiatives to ensure alignment of all systems with Scholarships goals and philosophy.
