3 May 2021
Student voices in the pandemic
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ntroduction In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached South Africa and the country went into a strict lockdown to try and contain the situation. In the following months, a group of University of Pretoria development studies students - themselves forced to leave campus and student residences and try to learn online – wrote about this unprecedented situation. In this short collection we share some of these experiences; some reveal what the students themselves were going through, some capture the stories of others around them. No-one, at the time of writing these really imagined that a year later we would still be so severely affected by this pandemic. But here we are, all still grappling with many of the same challenges. We hope you find these glimpses of how others have been affected in some way illuminating and perhaps encouraging. Editors: Marc Wegerif and Bontle Modubu – March 2021 University of Pretoria, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology. The impact of online learning on university students during the coronavirus outbreak Technological devices On the 30th of April 2020, the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, announced that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) would distribute devices (laptops), with connectivity to digital remote learning platforms, to all students. Whilst waiting for the government’s action, learning institutions such as the University of Pretoria (UP) have already made means to distribute laptops to their students in order to continue with the academic year. This has played a major role for those students that depend on university computers that can only be accessed when on campus. “I am so delighted by the support provided by the university, I can now do my academic work conveniently without having to travel to campus in order to access computers. It was challenging to attend lectures and remain on campus until late in order to type assignments as I did not have a personal computer”, says William, a Social Work student from the University of Pretoria. Even though there has been progress at the University of Pretoria, this is not the case with students from other universities who are still waiting for the government’s support. Zero-rated links and data costs Taking into account that laptops are not the only requirement when it comes to remote learning, some universities have provided zero-rated links and data for their students in order to make remote learning a success, and curb the inequalities that arise. The University of Pretoria also came up with an innovative concept to give its students what they need at no cost through the zero-rated link called “UP Connect”. With the above being done, it has not been a smooth ride for some students as they experience technical and connectivity issues. As a UP student, I have also been experiencing technical issues with regards to connecting using the zero-rated link, so I have to buy data in order to access lecture slides, academic information and to listen to recordings of lectures at a later stage since I am unable to join online sessions during the set time. The fact that I can always access recordings of the session at a later stage, has helped me keep up with what happens each and every day A Bachelor of Information Technology student that I interviewed said that he copes very well with remote learning especially because his roommate is not around, and having sufficient internet connection and two computers (his computer and the university computer) has made things so much easier for him. “I don’t regret remaining at the student residence before the lockdown because it was going to affect my studies negatively since my home is overcrowded, and considering how other international students that left are struggling now.” Impact on post graduate students As a postgraduate student, I personally feel like COVID-19, has to some extent, a negative impact on my research since I am doing a research proposal for the first time. I am researching a new issue which requires me to keep abreast about what is unfolding, but I find it very difficult to carry out my research because I do not have access to the library and don’t have enough data to search for articles/information related to my specific research topic on the internet. A Geography and Environmental Management student from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) attests to this: “Sweetheart they don’t care about us. We have filled forms, we tried to reach out to them, the SRC. Nobody cares. And I have spent R2,000 on data already. My research needs internet!” Taona an engineering student said: “Some of the work requires practical analysis to understand. Interpreting already synthesised data from practical experiments does not give me the idea of how tasks should be done and deduce proper results, since I only rely on theoretical methodology which is not useful for future hands scenario. Engineering requires a lot of group discussions with colleagues in person on how to solve or come up with a related solution”. Author: Sinqobile Zuma Read the collection in PDBY: next installment 24/05
News Bites
More than 30” emails about GBV to the SRC In 2020, the UP SRC announced the launch of a GBV email address that aimed to assist students who would fall victim to gender based violence by making the email address the first point of contact for victims to use to get guidance and assistance to report and resolve their cases. When asked about the initiative the SRC said, “the GBV initiative has truly been a great success”, but did not provide feedback on the number of emails received or the number of students assisted by the initiative. SRC member for Media, Marketing and Communications, Chanel Brown, said that it “is difficult to even quantify the number of students”, but that “more than 30 but less than 60 emails have been received”. Brown did not reveal who monitors or responds to emails, and said only that “an SRC member” manages the account. Huawei invests in UP EBIT students Huawei Technologies South Africa recently awarded bursaries to the value of R1,1 million to eight students from the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT) at UP. The bursaries were awarded to full time undergraduate and masters students to help them further their studies in the fields of EBIT. UP lecturer selected to be part of BRICS collaboration Prof. Hanlie Smuts from the Department of Informatics has been chosen to facilitate collaboration among researchers and institutions across the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)
Tshegofatso Maine: 19-yearold student and community service
Amukelani Makamu
U
P Political Science second year student, Tshegofatso Maine, has started a non-profit organisation (NPO) called ‘Legae La Kganya’. The NPO aims to push initiatives that empower marginalised groups, especially in the student community. Maine explains that the main aim of the NPO is to donate to students who cannot afford basic needs like toiletries and food. She further explains that Legae La Kganya has started its first initiative, namely ‘The Pad Drive’. The initiative aims to collect at least 500 sanitary pads in 16 days. The sanitary pads will be donated to student accommodations in Hatfield, a High School in Mamelodi, and a shelter for the homeless. The second project Legae La Kganya plans on running after the 16 days is a food drive. Maine further told PDBY that she might be the Chairperson of the NPO, but she is not working alone to positively impact student lives. She works closely with another UP student, Rethabile Kgomo, and UP alumni, Boikanyo Ernest. Maine says that they plan to reach out and work with the SRC, specifically with the transformation and media portfolios, with the goal of enabling the initiatives carried out by the NPO to reach a larger number of students and have a greater positive impact. Maine cites the inspiration behind these initiatives as the way she grew up in a township, facing and witnessing the struggles people had, such as not having sanitary pads. She says that this ultimately led to her wanting to “help out more”. Legae La Kganya express their willingness to work with other structures, saying that if any structure would like to work with them, they can email the NPO at legaelakganya@gmail.com or reach out to Maine on 0721571431.
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News | 3 member countries as part of a project to find creative solutions to the current global health crisis. Prof. Smuts is the principal investigator on the research initiative that brings together the experience of scholars from Brazil, Russia, and South Africa. The initiative will be known as BRICSmart and will be titled ‘BRICS-ICT alliance for smart resource utilisation to combat global pandemic outbreaks’. It covers artificial intelligence as well as information and communication technology (ICT) and how these topics may be applied to address issues around pandemics. UP experts consider cannabis use and labour law UP medico-legal experts, Dr JB Laurens and Professor Pieter Carstens, raised legal dilemmas regarding cannabis use by workers in a research article entitled “Cannabis legislation and testing for cannabis use in safety- and risk-sensitive environments”. A question that was raised was how employers can accurately and ethically detect if employees are under the influence of THC (the active component of cannabis) while at work. The legal dilemma arose in that THC can be detected in blood tests, saliva tests and urine tests for days after consumption, and is not an accurate indication of current intoxication. Dr Laurens and Prof. Carstens explain that using a ‘zero’ point threshold for testing is not “scientifically correct and could be problematic to defend in a court or labour hearing, since the ‘zero’ depends on the detection method”. They express that it is “essential to set a threshold concentration that was low enough for an individual to operate in a risk-sensitive environment, while also respecting their autonomy to use cannabis in private”. Compiled by Nokwanda Kubheka
Meet Hatfield: In the shoes of a beauty industry worker Mothusi Mokalane
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he COVID-19 pandemic and the hard restrictions of the Level 5 lockdown period in 2020 set South Africa’s local hair and beauty industry back significantly. The beauty industry has struggled after being shut down for months as it made it to the list of non essential businesses that had to shut down operations when cases of COVID-19 increased. According to a multinational company and research group, Mekinsey, the global industry generates $500 billion in annual sales and accounts for millions of jobs, directly and indirectly. Many of the people who work in these industries were left without work for months. Locally; Hatfield is a university town that has hundreds of students from the University of Pretoria and other institutions walking its streets. Every one of these students is part of the target market for all of the salons around the city. When campuses closed for lockdown in March 2020, the large majority of students left residences and accommodations in Hatfield, which resulted in severe economic setbacks for the salons and all of their employees who faced the impact of lockdown restrictions. Matilda Okai, a Ghanaian citizen living in South Africa working as a hairdresser, is a manager at Hatfield Beauty and Hair Studio. Okai said that the lockdown crippled the business as they had to go for months without any income between her and her husband. “No work means no pay when you are a salon worker, even if you miss a single day. Now imagine months of a business not operating”, she explained. Okai said that what was even more difficult during the hard restrictions period was having to pay rent for the store they operate from. That put a strain on the staff and managers because it made it more difficult to honour salaries. Okai explained that her business did not qualify for specific government relief, and that it felt the burden of lockdown on a pronounced level. Okai elaborated that even now post hard lockdown restrictions, the business is still going through strain because they are recovering from the losses of 2020. “Last year when the salons were closed, my husband had to ask for money from our family in Ghana just so we could survive. It was really hard going for months without any money entering our pockets”, said Okai. Okai indicated that because of where they operate, which is Hatfield, they have a market advantage of students, and predominantly UP students. “Even when the university closes for recess we suffer as a business because the absence of students kills our business, as they make up most of our clientele”. Martin, a Barber at Hatfield Barber, agreed, indicating that the lockdown placed his business in a vulnerable state due to the lack of income for months. “It is only now that one is starting to recover from the debacle of 2020, at least now I can make ends meet”, he explained. Martin also stated that when UP students are all in town they can see and feel the difference, as they have regular clients. “When students [are] here, I know I will make a lot of money in a day, so it was very difficult last year when the majority of them were not around”, he said. While most industries have reopened and can conduct business freely, many still experience the economic and personal challenges caused by the lockdown in 2020. Small businesses like Hatfield Barber and Hatfield Beauty and Hair Studio continue to recover the financial losses of the past year and continue business as their largest clientele basis is still largely missing from Hatfield.
