Rethinking Curriculum for Competency-Based on Contests Hampering Student Support in Open Distance Learning Space: South African Perspectives

The central aim of this article is to determine the contest facing student support in open distance learning context. All of those activities and services in education have developed to assist students to achieve their academic achievements and to improve relevant knowledge in order to achieve their goals in their lives. This article determine the access contest hampering student support in open distance learning (ODL). There is a growing primary recognition concern of the lack of student support services in the making distance education more responsive to the students. Student support activities including teaching and tutoring activities guide students to achieve their studies. The main purpose of the article is to develop an understanding of the contest facing student support as a result colonial practices that still practiced in open distance learning (ODL) system of democratic era in South Africa. Qualitative method was employed to collect data to answer the question about this article asks what are the contest hampering student support in open distance learning (ODL). This study employed an interpretive design to conduct the research. A sample of 210 students was used for the study, obtaining a random sampling of 100 students out of 210-registered student in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The study findings revealed that there are student support gap and negative impact on students’ academic achievement in open distance learning context. I argue in this study that student support could be the stimulus for the renewal of the field of educational management studies in South Africa. I clarify in this study what is the meaning of the concept student support in open distance learning space. It is recommended that Crocodile University should train its academic, administration staff and tutors to bridge the gap of student support activities they offer. I hope that this study will contribute to effective delivery of student support services for the students at open and distance learning institutions.