How postgraduate students at University of the Western Cape experienced and coped with the COVID-19 pandemic: A biographical exploration
The right of access to higher education in South Africa is enshrined in the country’s Constitution. Access to higher education has been a key issue on the national political agenda since the advent of democracy in South Africa. Prior to 1994, access to tertiary education in South Africa was divided along racial and class lines with the majority of the population excluded from higher education. While significant advances have been made in widening access, this is a legacy that persists today. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has once again exposed inequalities in tertiary education. Universities’ migration to remote teaching and learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic has limited students’ access and full participation in their studies. The pandemic has also exposed the negative aspects of South Africa’s education system, such as inequities that are the legacy of apartheid and colonialism. The study explores the experiences of students from a historically disadvantaged institution as it relates to access and full participation in their studies. The research adopted a qualitative research design. It targeted students at a historically disadvantaged institution namely, University of the Western Cape (UWC). The rationale of the research was to investigate and critically interrogate the challenges faced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students had to cope with the conditions and realities that they found themselves in as a result of the measures that universities implemented during the pandemic. The study examines the impact of those measures on students’ access and participation as it explores the experiences of the students interviewed for the study. Given the location of the study, it also reflects on whether and how structural issues of class and race affected the ability of students to adapt and cope with the massive changes that occurred as a result of the pandemic. In summary, the study found that the pandemic induced isolation, stress, and limited access to support, among others, exacerbating academic difficulties due to remote learning. Despite this, postgraduate students adopted virtual learning, sought mental health support, and established routines and peer communities to cope with the challenges. The UWC implemented initiatives, including mental health services, study data and devices provision, while supervisor guidance and online libraries were crucial for sustaining academic pursuits, demonstrating the complex interplay of challenges and coping strategies in higher education during the pandemic.
Higher education, transformation, COVID-19, student access, exclusion
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