The University of the Western Cape (UWC) has received high praise for its award-winning Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Unit, headed by Dr Rekha Rambharose, which plays a leading role in creating inclusive spaces for people who were previously disadvantaged individuals to reach their full academic potential.
Its annual Access Portfolio Development Hybrid Programme (RPL-PDHP) has been a flagship initiative since 2020 for adult learners. Rooted in UWC’s founding mission to serve historically marginalised communities and advance social justice, the programme widens access to higher education for capable adult learners who bring rich professional, community and lived experience into the academy.
Celebrated
The class of 2025 was recently celebrated at their graduation ceremony. Addressing the assembly, South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) CEO Nadia Starr highlighted the importance of the day and the deep value of its longstanding partnership with UWC. “SAQA is the custodian of the national RPL policy and an advocate for its principles, but our partnership with UWC has been incredibly special, long-standing, authentic and deeply impactful. UWC has adopted RPL in a committed and pragmatic manner.
“We see the difference these programmes make in the lives of individuals and in communities. It’s a partnership we are proud of, and one we reference often when speaking to institutions that may still be hesitant about RPL. Kudos to UWC and Dr Rekha Rambharose, also named the SAQA NQF champion in October at SAQA’s 30-year celebrations. In alignment with such UWC instruments as its Institutional Operating Plan (IOP), Scholarship of Learning & Teaching and Graduate Attributes, the RPL-PDHP is not simply a pathway to entry; it is a developmental, relational and empowering learning experience that affirms identity, builds academic readiness and nurtures the confidence required to thrive in postgraduate study.
Goals
Over the past six years the programme has demonstrated that access and success are inseparable goals. Through structured pedagogical support, digital learning design, coaching and intentional communities of practice, adult learners are guided to transform prior learning into academic currency. This model reflects UWC’s strategic emphasis on student success, lifelong learning and innovative academic support approaches that respond to the changing realities of higher education and the needs of working adults.
The annual RPL certificate and awards ceremony was therefore more than a celebration of entry; it honoured resilience, commitment and the transformative potential of equitable higher-education pathways. Starr added: “RPL is fundamentally about access, creating inclusive spaces for people who may not have had the advantages of traditional academic pathways. For a country like ours, the benefit is enormous. RPL contributes to a more inclusive society and ultimately to the collective democracy we are working to build.”
She said many underestimate how much knowledge they already carry. “RPL is about lifting up and making transparent the skills people have gained through work and life experience. Any skill or competence can be recognised through RPL if the process is implemented progressively and authentically.”
UWC Deputy Registrar Dr Ahmed Shaikjee reaffirmed UWC’s deep historical commitment to access and justice. “I want to begin where UWC has always started, ‘the doors of learning shall be open.’ These words from the Freedom Charter challenged a system designed to exclude and placed a moral obligation on all of us to ensure education serves as a pathway to justice, not a barrier to it. UWC took this declaration seriously and became the home of the intellectually curious, the historically marginalised, the politically engaged and the academically capable who had been denied access elsewhere.”
He emphasised that RPL must never be treated as a lesser or alternative route. “RPL is not the ‘other’. It is not the informal or non-traditional pathway. It is a trailblazing journey that affirms that experience, resilience and growth matter. RPL does not ask candidates to prove they are as good as traditional students; it asks the university to recognise that wisdom takes many forms.” To the graduates Shaikjee said: “You are not catching up. You are not compensating. You are bringing perspective shaped by professional practice, insight forged through real-world challenges and maturity earned through balancing responsibilities while pursuing a dream that refused to die.”
Transformation
He reminded the assembly that transformation is a collective endeavour, made possible through partnerships across institutions and sectors. “You have been given something precious,” he said, turning his gaze again to the graduates, “access to education that was denied to so many before you. Wherever you go, open doors. Be the leader who opens space instead of guarding gates. Be the one who says to someone else ‘Your experience matters. Your story matters. You belong.’ The doors of learning stay open only when people like you walk through them, succeed and turn back to hold them open for others. Your achievement today sends a clear message that South Africa’s future shines brightest when we make room for every voice, every journey, and every dream. In a society that too often forgets to value competence and integrity, UWC stands as a reminder that a capable nation can be built only by recognising capable people. And that’s people like you.”
Rambharose described how much progress and development had been made in the past six years to the assembly, an advancement that was evident in the quality of the adult learners attending the RPL portfolio programme, the impact it had on their learning journeys and the overall impact it had for strengthening RPL in the country.
At the ceremony, Shaikjee, Starr, research manager Dr Heidi Bolton and Dr Makhapha Makhafola were recognised as transforming champions, partners and collaborators who propelled the RPL movement forward. They were awarded for their sustained commitment and partnership with the RPL Unit. Internationally, the Transformers award recognises partners who contribute meaningfully to global dialogue and practice in RPL and adult learning.
These include individuals who influenced, supported or strengthened UWC’s RPL strategy, visibility or scholarship and shared knowledge, mentorship or thought leadership that elevated RPL globally, in collaboration with Rambharose and the RPL Unit. Transformers awardees were Prof Alan Mandell of the Adult Learning and Mentoring, SUNY Empire State University, New York, Prof Ruud Duvekot, Director of the European Centre for VPL, Netherlands and Dr Nan Travers, former Director of the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning at Empire State University and co-founder of the PLAIO Journal. Dr Rambharose expressed deep gratitude for the partnership and support for the RPL Unit’s work from SAQA and international stakeholders. “You have shown it is never too late to begin again, never too early to believe and never too slow to make an impact,” she declared. “May this milestone not mark the end of your journey, but the beginning of new possibilities.”
