Low-income rural youth migrating to urban universities in South Africa: opportunities and inequalities

Perceived factors that contribute to Black social work students’ failure of courses at university level: A case study of 3rd year social work students at a South African university

“…The study also found that those students from poor families had no other forms of support to aid them in times of difficulty at university; this greatly affected their studies. These views are also discussed by scholars such as Breier (2010); Letseka & Cosser (2010); Scott and Letseka (2010) and Walker and Mathebula (2019) who highlight the impact that a poor family background has on the throughput rates at South African universities. These scholars acknowledge that poverty is strongly linked to academic performance; hence, the financial struggles faced by students from poor family backgrounds will likely impact their ability to perform well at tertiary institutions (Letseka & Cosser 2010).…”

“…These scholars acknowledge that poverty is strongly linked to academic performance; hence, the financial struggles faced by students from poor family backgrounds will likely impact their ability to perform well at tertiary institutions (Letseka & Cosser 2010). Walker and Mathebula (2019) also show that poor students from rural areas in South Africa are faced are financially constrained resulting in accommodation, transport, and clothing challenges and this can affect their learning at university. Tjabane and Pillay (2011) also argue that government policies influence policies of academic institutions; therefore, universities under a marketoriented state have adopted values of competition and individualism that does not consider past racial imbalances and this weighs heavily on previously disadvantaged students.…”

Recognising poor black youth from rural communities in South Africa as epistemic contributors

“…Most of them come from the poorest areas in the country, namely Vhembe district (Limpopo), Joe Gqabi district (Eastern Cape), and Harry Gwala district (KwaZulu-Natal), and attended quintile 1 to 3 non-fee paying public schools, which serve low-income communities and lag behind well-off schools in learning outcomes (Walker and Mathebula, 2019). For example, Grade 9 pupils in poor, mostly black schools have a backlog of approximately three and half years relative to those in well-off schools (see Moses et al, 2017).…”

“…In South Africa, poverty has a spatial dimension; it remains concentrated in rural areas that were previously segregated along ethnic lines during apartheid and set aside for black people (Walker and Mathebula, 2019;Sulla and Zikhali, 2018). Today, rural communities account for 61% of the poverty burden (Moses et al, 2017).…”

“…The rural context thus presents a major challenge for learners who might aspire to go to university, and it has a negative effect on higher education access more broadly (Walker and Mathebula, 2019). Learners who manage to get a bachelor's pass and qualify for university entry, are more likely to face persistent challenges that require constant struggle to succeed.…”