"There are definite socio-cultural factors which may prevent students from being adequately prepared for and able to participate effectively in, tertiary studies. The answer therefore is to provide a more holistic solution for these students. There are many bright students out there, but if they don't have food in their stomachs or safe and suitable accommodation, it becomes very difficult to learn," says Lorraine Gumede, Regional Manager of the Rural Education Access Programme (REAP).
Most of REAP's bursary holders are first generation students. So the transition to university is an enormous leap across economic, social and racial barriers.
"Many disadvantaged students experience feelings of social alienation and homesickness, especially at the beginning of their first year, when not only the culture of the campus environment and its people, but also the city, is still new and strange. A big challenge for rural students is that they generally do not know anybody else on campus when they first arrive," says Gumede. She adds that "many also experience a degree of culture shock; for example people in their rural villages all know each other and greet one another, whereas at university, people are anonymous and isolated".
This socio-cultural mismatch, or lack of 'fit', is also emphasised by language issues, in that there are differences in language usage and dialect between rural and urban communities who speak the same language.
"Some other practical problems that students might encounter are they might not be able to address basics such as the need for corrective eyeglasses. There are also some that have to deal with family issues such as news that a family member is terminally ill," says Gumede.
These issues are real and have the potential to knock promising students suddenly and needlessly off track. "By virtue of having a clear understanding of the socio-cultural backgrounds of its students, the sort of challenges that confront them when entering higher education institutions and an understanding of the individual higher education institutional environments where they are studying, REAP student advisors are well positioned to be pro-active as well as responsive to their students' needs, and thus facilitate their integration," continues Gumede.
These young people do not just deal with poverty, language barriers, social divisions, academic challenges, environmental challenges; their challenges are a lot more holistic. "They have to deal with themselves, their dreams, their studies, their acceptance and adaptation in a strange environment with strange people, but they carry their family problems with them wherever they go," says Gumede.
REAP's programme is built on personalised attention designed to facilitate the transition from home; school to university, from rural to urban life, and early adulthood. The ultimate goal is to facilitate academic success and personal growth by developing students' independence and capacity to take care of themselves. REAP together with the FNB Fund understands the importance of integrated support systems that will provide a coherent support network and thus maximise students' chances of success," concludes Gumede.
REAP assists students from poor rural areas across all nine provinces of South Africa to access tertiary education and provides information, resources and referrals to Grade 11 and 12 learners in rural schools. It also provides students with a structured support and development programme to facilitate success in their studies.
