THE WRETCHED LIFE OF POOR STUDENTS AT SOUTH AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES

The reality is harsh, and sometimes even understated: for many poor and disadvantaged students at South African universities, higher education is not just an academic journey—it is a daily struggle for survival.

At institutions such as the University of Venda, University of Limpopo, University of Mpumalanga, the University of Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu University, and the University of Zululand, the hopes of many students are dashed upon arrival, if not at all. These affected students are mostly from poor backgrounds, villages, and townships, and their hopes are hindered by many barriers that move far from their lecture rooms.

The most talked-about barrier is financial exclusion, exacerbated by funding delays, insufficient allowances, and management and administrative ineptitude by NSFAS. It leads students to face hunger without money for food and accommodation, and to go weeks and months without study materials. Some students end up sleeping in the corridors and laboratories; others sleep in unsafe, overcrowded residences and/or informal student housing.

Student hunger is a genuine problem and deeply humiliating for students. The NSFAS fund cannot even cover three proper meals per day. Some universities lack the financial muscle to address the widespread and deeply humiliating phenomenon of food insecurity. Some students rely on universities’ free schemes, which are inadequate for them, while others go a day without a meal. A combination of an empty stomach, lack of funding or minimal funding results in the cycle of stress, poor academic results, and anxiety. Educational performance is not possible unless it becomes a game of endurance for students.

Student accommodation is the worst crisis in South Africa and is overly overcrowded. It is at a crisis level for some universities, with overcrowded, unmaintained, and dilapidated residences. Exploitative and unsafe student residences. Some service providers charge poor students exorbitant fees for unsafe and poorly built off-campus residences. In some worst-case scenarios, students live in squatter camps and other temporary shelters that are not conducive to learning and teaching.

Students from poor backgrounds are the worst affected by the digital literacy gap. Some students have never owned a laptop or a smartphone; the entire experience is unbearable and deeply humiliating.  It creates a conducive study environment for learning and teaching. Without laptops, stable internet, or quiet study spaces, these students are at a severe disadvantage. The worst problems occur when these students are confronted with blended or online learning modules. Some universities do provide students with laptops and data, even though it is sometimes delayed or uneven.

It is socially unbearable to have some university students live in luxury apartments while poor students are left with a depressing experience of unsuitable shelters. This kind of frustration may lead to an unsafe, unsatisfactory campus and a frustrated, angry student body. The FeesMustFall movement was more about inclusion of all students, regardless of their financial muscle or lack thereof.

It is important to note that not all students need to be portrayed as victims. Many poor students demonstrate high resilience and excel in their studies despite hunger, institutional neglect, and poverty. There are many success stories from poor and resilient students. The success stories are a grave indictment of the government and universities that allow such hardships in the first instance.

Universities must portray an elevated level of duty of care towards poor students. Massification of access to universities is not enough; a resourceful funding model, robust support systems for students to succeed, inclusive campus life, timely funding, and safe student accommodation, mental health, and wellness student services are needed.

The current higher education landscape continues to reinforce an unequal society rather than dismantle it.

By

Dr Sefoko Ramoshaba

www.sjli.co.za

0647092097