Equity, access and success in higher education in times of disruption: Contemporary and future imaginaries

no abstract as this is only an editoria

Access and success in higher education: Disadvantaged students’ lived experiences beyond funding hurdles at a Metropolitan South African university

In the context of South Africa’s complex historical legacy of inequality, access to higher education and academic success have become pressing concerns for governments, institutions, and scholars globally. While strides have been made post-1994 in South African higher education, with increased enrollment and opportunities, disparities persist, particularly for marginalized communities in impoverished or rural areas. The study aims to contribute to the discourse on creating a fairer and more inclusive South African higher education system, offering insights that could reshape the understanding of funding challenges and inform potential solutions. The article used the qualitative empirical data of the Council on Higher Education project to understand the challenges faced by students from these backgrounds as they seek higher education, focusing on their lived experiences beyond financial obstacles. The theory of resilience is deployed to understand how they succeed despite the odds. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these challenges. The findings indicate that students from disadvantaged backgrounds face various funding challenges, and they strive to succeed despite the odds. The article advocates for institutions to teach as well as boost resilience to these students. Also incorporating the voices of disadvantaged students in debates about higher education funding can inform more inclusive and supportive educational environments. We also advocate for institutional resilience in sourcing more funding for this group

Disruptions in higher education: Mitigating issues of access and success in the COVID-19 pandemic

Disruptions create both new opportunities and challenges in higher education. In settled times, education systems plod along with an assumed and uncritical acceptance of normalcy of the status-quo. When the status quo is disrupted, suddenly the patched-up cracks reveal the depth and magnitude of the simmering problems of the sector in graphic ways. Access and success are arguably the two most poignant indicators of the performance of higher education systems. In post-colonial societies such as South Africa, access is used to estimate progress in broadening participation in higher education, particularly to young people from previously disadvantaged communities. Access has two broad meanings: increased enrolments and enhanced epistemological impact. Success, on the other hand is measured variously but mainly through graduation and progression rates across different socio-economic higher education students groups and also on the quality of their performances.  In this article we provide a theoretical discussion of the notions of disruptions and their impact in higher education; examine the questions of access and success in higher education; and conclude that the chasm lying between access by participation and access by success requires substantial transformation of a knowledge system that is alien to the cultural context of the country; rebalancing and recalibrating the broader ideological environment that privileges liberalism while paying token attention to social justice and inclusion beyond mere symbolism; and a persistent refocusing on emancipatory pedagogies, designed to liberate rather than subjugate graduates into pigeon holed choices in the labour market which are designed to serve the needs of owners of capital as the primary motive of employment. We conclude by identifying critical factors that appear to lead to a failure by universities to bridge the gap between access by participation and access by success or epistemological access. Most of these tend to be structurally embedded in the fabric of higher education institutions and the sector and include, a persistent coloniality of the sector, disjuncture between the intended ideological framework guiding national development and the operating economic models and institutional inertia to move beyond the canonical bases of higher education based on western epistemes

Impacts of large-scale investments in agriculture to water resources, ecosystems and livelihoods, and development of policy options [Abstract only]

ntroduction and objectives: As water availability is a strong driver for the acquisition of agricultural land, the implementation of foreign direct investments in land has also been described as “water grabbing” with severe impact to water and related ecosystems, creating water scarcity and impoverishing local population. The objective is to better understand the impacts of large-scale investments in agriculture to water resources, ecosystems and livelihoods, and to develop policy options for decision-makers for leasing agricultural land without compromising ecosystem services and ensuring equitable benefits including to the affected communities.Methodology approach: As a significant share of a country’s water resources may be used in these land deals, some policy options on land and water acquisition by large-scale investors would ensure that such investments promote food and water security without compromising local and downstream water availability and quality. Legal, political, socio-economic and environmental dimensions of large-scale land deals need to be further investigated to help decision-makers implement beneficial measures and formulate policies and programmes that ensure a wider distribution of such benefits.Analysis, results, conclusions and recommendation: The presentation will showcase :the current extent and types of agricultural land leases (e.g. identification of the investors, the target countries, the surface area, the types of agricultural activities, etc.)the drivers of such foreign direct investment (FDI) schemes and the motives for the investmentthe pressures for and opportunities presented by implementing such FDI schemesa classification and qualitative assessment of the environmental and socio-economic impacts, with a focus on water, ecosystem services and livelihoodsan analysis of the current policy and institutional frameworks to manage the FDI schemes and their impacts in 6 countries – (e.g. Ghana & Mali (West Africa); Ethiopia & Tanzania (East Africa); Mozambique & Zambia (Southern Africa) - (in terms of water allocation, protecting ecosystems, dealing with the local population, and monitoring of compliance with provision of agreements and the policy frameworks) and the identification of gaps.a simulation model of the environmental impacts on water resources and ecosystems services as well as the social effects on livelihoods on one specific River Basin (to be chosen), that could be used a decision-support tool.outcomes from the technical workshop and the policy dialogue to be held with the policy-makes in Africa in Spring 2014