Disparities in Rural Universities Transformation: A Review From a South African Perspective

Abstract

In recent years, the South African government has placed a greater emphasis on transforming rural universities. This has been driven by a desire to increase access to higher education and improve the quality of education in rural areas. However, this process has not been without its challenges, among which is the fact that rural areas tend to be less developed than urban areas, making it difficult to attract and remain in the fulcrum of development. This paper is located with an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach toward transforming rural universities in South Africa. A systematic review approach was employed to investigate the problem, which enabled the researchers to draw logical conclusions from the findings of exhaustive literature to address the problem of the paper. After systematic scrutiny, inclusion and exclusion criteria were operationalized by limiting to 8 relevant articles. The databases used were Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Scopus, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC). Findings revealed that Inequality, Poor physical infrastructure, and Lack of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and training support in Rural Universities were dimensions against rural university transformation in Africa. The paper, therefore, concludes that rural universities (RUs) are grappling with several challenges thwarting their efforts in delivering quality teaching and learning with the recommendation that adequate infrastructure, policy change, and provision of academic support for students should be provided.