Story Lyndon Julius. Photos Millicent Walker

The EDU is located within the University of Cape Town's (UCT) Commerce Faculty and is home to just under 1 300 undergraduate students.  The unit is deeply committed to advancing equitable access to higher education, empowering student success, nurturing inclusivity, and enhancing overall well-being.

Students in the EDU complete their degree programmes in a standard or extended period with augmented support and benefit from smaller classes, additional lectures, support workshops, psychosocial services, mentorship programmes, and opportunities for personal development.

The support structures are varied and carefully crafted to ensure that all students have the resources they need to thrive and flourish academically and personally. 

A Platform for Student Expression

While the event is a significant date on the Commerce calendar, what sets it apart is not only the accolades, prizes, and excellent results that the students produce but the vibrant display of student creativity, expression of their talent, and collaboration between staff and students that bring this event to life.

The EDU staff organised the evening, and the students were responsible for arranging and securing the event’s entertainment. From the warm welcomes extended by student ushers to the dynamic, talented, and energetic performances interspersed between award presentations meant that the evening was a product of student initiative and collaboration. Months of preparation culminated in a showcase of music, song, dance, poetry, and spoken word, transforming the iconic Baxter Theatre stage into a youthful expression of talent and skill.

Carla Fourie, the HOD of EDU and one of the many driving forces behind the programme, highlighted the importance of this creative expression.

"We wanted to create a space where academic achievements are celebrated, but more than that, where students can showcase the other skills they bring to the table," she said. "It is about recognising the diversity and talents within our EDU community and giving students a platform to express themselves beyond the classroom."

“Commerce EDU is a marriage between CHED and the Faculty of Commerce; it works because it has all the elements of what makes a good union: common purpose, mutual respect, reciprocity, honest communication, kindness, forgiveness, and grace,” said Prof Suki Goodman, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce. “The EDU is core to how we define ourselves as a faculty and how we try to live our foundational doctrine of care and transformation.”

“The EDU Awards evening is a celebration of the beautiful humans who staff this precious entity as much as it is an honouring of our students. The EDU exists for one primary reason: to serve our students, facilitate their success, provide them with the scaffold to build their house, and lay the foundations for their future.”

Highlighting the Voices of the EDU

Among the standout performances of the evening were those of two EDU former students, both of whom have gone on to make significant contributions to their fields.

A spoken word performance by Mo Malele captivated the audience with its raw emotion and powerful narrative. A poet, performer, and entrepreneur, Malele reflected on her student days when she, too, performed at previous EDU awards evenings. "One of the reasons why I love coming back to this space is because my career, not only as a poet and a performer but also in business and entrepreneurship, started right in this school," Malele said. "It is almost like coming full circle.

"It [the awards evening] is a celebration of academic excellence, creative expression, and also community. If you look around here, that is what comes out of an event like this, the importance of community."

The focus of the evening is and will always be the students. Raiyaan Rawoot, Investec Student of the Year, praised the EDU community for providing him and his fellow students the adequate platform to excel. Equally, Bee Gabayi, who bagged the KPMG HOD award, lauded the warm and embracing environment the EDU programme and its constituents provide.

“I am deeply honoured to have received the Student of the Year award,” said Rawoot. “This would not have been possible without the guidance and support of the EDU department. I am profoundly grateful to be part of the EDU team, which has been a cornerstone in shaping my academic journey.”

“EDU means to me a home far away from home, family where I found friends and parents who I can cry to when academics and life become hard,” said a proud Gabayi.

Siyasanga Hayi-Charters, another alum and keynote speaker of the event, shared Malele's sentiment and admiration for the students’ performances.

"We wanted to create a space where academic achievements are celebrated, but more than that, where students can showcase the other skills they bring to the table," Fourie said.

"I think it was beautiful that the students did the entertainment," Hayi-Charters said after the evening. "It is so wonderful to see how well-rounded these students are, and [it is] very inspirational to see them exhibit their talents. So, I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect, and I think it is such a nice touch."

The former EDU student said that the evening was a reminder of the importance of balancing work with personal passions. "I think it is important to showcase your skills and gifts and that you should still do things that give you joy and energy because sometimes work can be so weighty, and you let go of your passions outside of work.

"I think it is so important to see students being able to set aside the books for a bit and apply themselves to other things that give them energy. I hope they take it on in their personal lives after university to keep doing the creative and wonderful things that also give them energy.”

A Community of Learning and Support

The EDU’s success is not only measured by the accolades the students receive but also by the community of support it has built. Carla Fourie compares the EDU to running a marathon with a team helping you carry the load.

"It is about offering support and creating a community of learning, inclusivity, and recognising diversity," Fourie said.

This ethos was evident and displayed throughout the evening, with students supporting one another, celebrating each other’s diversity, and taking pride in their collective achievements.