4.6 Institutional Interventions
4.6.4 Towards positive educational outcomes in the TVET College
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economic backgrounds pursuing studies so that they can improve their opportunities in a fast- changing South African labour market.
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While the above participant emphasised the need for the effective use of technology to enhance the accomplishment of the college’s academic programmes a participant in this study reported that,
The college should provide students with transport money on a monthly basis because many students dropout because of lack of money. The college leadership provide residences for students and also provide them with food, for example, breakfast, lunch and supper. We need a library where we can study do research on our assignments and projects. At the moment there is no library at the college. We can also have extra computers in the library, which we can use to download information when researching assignments and ISAT (Robert).
Another recommendation, which came up during the data collection process, focused on the effective use of modes of communication to reduce incidents of conflict between the college leadership and the student body. A participant in this study suggested that,
The college should work together with students, in other words, the college management should talk to the students, listen to students’ concerns so as to create a cooperative relationship. There should be constant communication between the college and the students so as to be able to solve problems and avoid strikes and confrontations (Ngosazana).
The need for communication, extra-curricular activities and library provision became common theme because another participant put her recommendations in point form as follows:
The college management should have meetings with students on a regular basis, especially on how to handle students’ problems.
The college should have a library because there is no library and students use the municipality library, which is ill equipped.
The college management should hold assemblies with students on a weekly basis so that students are updated on important issues, which concern learning and teaching in the college (Zuzi).
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Another participant was more concerned about the issue of language of instruction in the college. Although he speaks English as a first language at home, he had this to say,
The college management should provide interpreters because some of our colleagues do not understand English very well. This will help them understand what the lecturer would have explained because the interpreter will also explain the same concepts in their home language. We also need Ipads and/or tablets to download information needed in assignments and ISAT projects because many of the students do not have access to the internet, and the college also does not have a functioning library. The college should facilitate the processing of our NSFAS bursaries so that we will be able to have money for transport, food and accommodation (Ian).
The above findings are supported by Bourdieu (1986) who views economic capital as the foundation of all other forms of capital and treats all other types of capital as transformed, veiled forms of economic capital. Other forms of capital can be converted into economic capital, such as converting educational credentials into high paying professional position and economic capital can be used to other forms of capital, for example family income can be used to pay for school fees and tutoring services, leading to favourable educational outcomes (Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1992). According to Cheng (2012) family income captures only one aspect of how parental status influences school performance. Studies, carried out, emphasise that the uppermost reason for students’ failure to participate and succeed in tertiary education programmes are a lack of economic capital (Sullivan, 2012). Thomas (2012) also notes that the key ways in which financial pressures impact on poor students in the United Kingdom are absolute lack of money, debt, and fear of debt, comparative lack of money in relation to previous income levels, in relation to peers and part-time work which interferes with time and energy for studies. While financial challenges may cut across all socio-economic levels, Jones et al (2008) note that students from low socio-economic levels are mostly affected. Students from low socio-economic level are affected, firstly in terms of access, that is, the application fees charged by tertiary institutions are a barrier to many disadvantaged students, which may exclude them from vocational education or preclude them from applying to more than one institution. Secondly, registration and tuition fees are an even greater financial barrier (Krause, Vick and Boon 2009). Within the South African context Maimane (2016) notes that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) loan may cover registration and tuition fees but if students apply late they may be unable to access
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financial aid for the first semester. Inability to pay these costs at the end of the first year results in students being excluded from registering. The other barrier which Blom (2016) highlights is the fact that since these students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, they do not have access to information about institutional processes regarding registration and application for financial aid, so very often first year students apply late. A research by Mlambo (2011) found out that the majority of students from rural areas do not have family or friends near the tertiary institution with whom they could stay or offer them any financial support. These students, therefore, may come from the security of a small community, arrive in an unfamiliar urban environment, often having to find and finance their own accommodation, meals and transport, and to some extent, textbooks and equipment, with very limited resources or knowledge of how to manage their finances. It is, therefore, important for the college leadership under study to make the provision of food, accommodation and transport a primary priority if participation and success among disadvantaged students can be realised in the short to medium term.