Poverty in University

Universities are seen to be the place where the rich come to extend their studies so that they can get that degree and achieve that dream job so that they can earn more money. But this is slowly changing due to the Black Economic Empowerment programme implemented in South Africa shortly after the ANC took control in 1994.

In this BEE structure many Universities have to endure to a strict status-quo when accepting perspective students. This status-quo states that there must be as many black students as there are white students regardless of intellect and the capacity to cope at University level.
The consequence of this status-quo is that many students are getting accepted to University on the basis of skin colour and not academia intellect. This makes it hard for them to cope with the pressures of assignments and tests. These students who are accepted by race sometimes do not have the finances to support such an educational endeavour and so they look to financial aid and other student loans of that type.

Though the fact still remains that some poverty-ridden students are given the chance to excel at a tertiary level even though they would have never if it weren’t for the BEE system. Therefore the BEE system can be a blessing in disguise sometimes but ultimately the BEE system is like the reverse of Apartheid. Instead of beating the black people up, the government are giving them pity money.

Is the poverty of the previously disadvantaged ever going to be overcome?

The question raises quite a few debates but the decision to let the previously disadvantaged students into University on the basis of race and not intellect is not on. There are people out there who work their butts of to get University but they will lose their place because of something that happened years ago between the blacks and the whites.