Re-envisioning the Education System for 4IR: Exploring the Experiences Faced by First Entering Students from Rural-based Institutions on the Use of Digital Learning during the Coronavirus Pandemic in Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

The paper explores the experiences faced by first entering students from rural based institutions on the use of digital learning during the coronavirus pandemic in South Africa. The Coronavirus pandemic has uncovered the gross imbalances that are the legacies of apartheid and colonisation. The education system has and is still going through uncommon changes to acclimatise to the lockdown measures that disrupted physical classes. A participatory action research method was adopted. Data was collected from 10 first year students and 3 lecturers through WhatsApp. A critical theory underpinned the study. Through thematic data analysis, the paper unearthed that while the South African government is championing online teaching and learning in the country to evade challenges introduced with the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, this mode excludes many first-year students from rural-based institutions. The paper recommends the need for a comprehensive methodology that caters for the lived realities of students.