The significance of Reading and Writing Centre in the University of Limpopo: An Afrocentric perspective

• Published date: 01 May 2022
• Author: Makhura Benjamin Rapanyane
• Date: 01 May 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2502

ACADEMIC PAPER

The significance of Reading and Writing Centre in the

University of Limpopo: An Afrocentric perspective

Makhura Benjamin Rapanyane

Department of Cultural and Political Studies,

University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South

Africa

Correspondence

Makhura Benjamin Rapanyane, Department of

Cultural and Political Studies, University of

Limpopo, South Africa.

Email: makhurabenjamin2@gmail.com

The Centre for Academic Excellence (CAE) through its Reading and Writing Centre

(RWC) in the University of Limpopo (UL) offers a wide range of services to the stu-

dents' populace of UL. These services are poised at improving the academic writing

of both undergraduate and post-graduate students. The fundamental drive behind

this is to ensure that students do not suffer an academic blow in their academic

engagements. As such, this article interrogates and analyse the importance of having

such a centre at UL. The research question that is engaged with in this research arti-

cle is that: do the students of UL really use RWC services in order to enhance their

academic development? As an emerging and popular African-centred theory in the

South Africa context, Afrocentricity is adopted in this article to attend to the central

objective of this article which is to highlight the importance of students using RWC

services offered free of charge. Methodologically, this research article relied heavily

on semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis of the prevailing schol-

arly documents.

1|INTRODUCTION

In this research article, the author sought to analyse the significance

of having an RWC at the UL. To do this, the author has adopted the

utility of Afrocentricity to shape this article's theoretical framework.

In order to realize the central objectives of this article, the author has

given a broader analysis of the current literature that sharpened the

undertaking of this research article. In doing so, the author has

explored the existing knowledge gaps in signifying the need for the

undertaking of the research article of this nature. In going straight to

the points advanced in this article, the author has deliberated on the

UL in context, by highlighting its origins and how it has developed

over time. An extended effort was made by highlighting the four fac-

ulties (health and science, humanities, science and agriculture, and

management and law) found in the UL which work hand in hand with

the cross-faculty of the CAE which has programmes that assist the

students of all four main faculties of the university. In context, the

author explored the CAE as a centre that was established to assist

students with academic and social related issues. As such, a central

deviation is also made in this article by discussing the evolution of

RWC and also its importance in the context of the UL. This discussion

is coupled with the language skills (reading and writing) problems that

university populace faces daily when they engage their academic

activities. In the final analysis, the author has discussed the findings

and research results of this research article and makes recommenda-

tions on how to best go forward.

2|LITERATURE REVIEW

The UL Turfloop Campus receives thousands of students from the

Limpopo province and beyond on a yearly basis which are squeezed

into its four faculties in which schools and departments are found. In

context, this article places focus on the discussion of the reading and

writing experiences and/ challenges experienced by these students

ranging from undergraduate to postgraduates (Rapanyane, 2020b). It

is important to note that these students are the ones which have just

managed to pass their matric and come principally from the rural set-

tings with others coming straight from partially urban and complete

urban areas and most are not even beyond 25 years of age and or less

than 18 years (Lai & Mulayim, 2011, p. 59). Honestly, these students

do find themselves in a brand-new academic environment in which

Received: 16 July 2020 Revised: 23 August 2020 Accepted: 14 September 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2502

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https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2502