Black international students are resilient, despite challenges

What are the challenges experienced by black international students in the 21st century at South African universities? What strategies do those students use to develop resilience skills in those institutions?

Those are some of the key questions that Dr Peace Ginika Nwokedi, a lecturer and researcher in teacher education at the University of Johannesburg, and Fumane Portia Khanare, an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, pose in a contribution to a new book, Internationalisation of Higher Education for Sustainable Development: A Southern African Perspective, by Brill, an international publisher of academic books.

In a chapter titled, Black International Students in the 21st-Century South African University: Resiliencies Amid Adversities, the two academics focused on how South African public universities had been receiving students from Sub-Saharan Africa more than their counterparts in other countries in the region.

The issue is that, since the end of apartheid in South Africa, international students from other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have been attracted to South Africa, not necessarily to experience cultural diversity, but to take advantage of high-quality education in well-developed South African universities.

In this regard, Nwokedi and Khanare pointed out that, since the dawn of the 21st century, South African universities have witnessed a significant influx and increase in the mobility of students across international borders, mostly from other African countries.

“The diversity and quality of education in these universities enrich the learning environment,” stated the two scholars.

Nevertheless, it had been a deliberate policy of the South African government to increase the footprint of international students, especially those from other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Currently, of the slightly over one million students enrolled in South African universities, about 6.5% are international students, mainly from Sub-Saharan Africa, and more so from the neighbouring countries which are members of the Southern African Development Community, or SADC.

According to UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics, South Africa is the second-most attractive destination for Sub-Saharan African mobile students after France.

Challenges for black international students

However, according to Nwokedi and Khanare, most black international students who go to South African universities to pursue higher education encounter challenges that include language barriers, culture shock, financial pressures, cultural adjustments, institutional xenophobia, alienation, and low self-esteem.

Citing a study by Dr Bonginkosi Hardy Mutongoza, a lecturer of education and a social justice researcher at the University of Fort Hare, the co-authors of the chapter under review specifically noted that language barriers experienced by black international students caused alienation, loneliness and a lack of sense of belonging in South Africa.

Similarly, in addition to family separation, some of those students also experience immigration difficulties, accommodation problems, and limited professional development opportunities.

Besides, according to Mutongoza, learning in a foreign environment involves students encountering unfamiliar learning and teaching methods, cultural taboos, new lifestyles, and conflicting expectations, of which black international students joining South African universities are not an exception.

Despite those challenges, Nwokedi and Khanare noted that most black international students still succeed in South African universities, excelling academically and contributing to university life through their engagement and participation in various activities and initiatives due to their resilience.

Resilience-building skills

Defining resilience as the ability to develop a combination of mental, emotional and social skills to overcome adversity, Nwokedi and Khanare noted that many black international students in South Africa have managed to create a mindset and behaviour that allows them to complete their studies successfully.

As culture shock and adjusting to a different environment have been significant challenges for black international students in South African universities, Nwokedi and Khanare noted that those students have developed cultural resilience through engaging in activities that promoted their cultural practices.

“Association with the cultural or ethnic identity of their countries of origin has been one of the significant elements that has enabled black international students in South Africa to develop adaptive coping mechanisms to build their resilience in their new environment,” stated Nwokedi and Khanare.

In this context, black international students, especially from Zimbabwe and Nigeria, have built strong relationships among themselves, practising self-care, developing social problem-solving skills and fostering a sense of purpose for having left their home countries and being in South Africa.

In another contribution based on specific experiences of international postgraduate students at a South African university, Nwokedi and associates, which included Khanare and Samuel Nnadoziem Ndukuba, a lecturer in civil engineering at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, noted that foreign postgraduate students, especially those from other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, have developed personal skills and academic skills that shaped their learning and enabled them to achieve their educational goals.

According to those academics, black international students in South African universities, whether undergraduates or postgraduates, have also developed resilience through doing group assignments in their academic work as well as establishing a good rapport with their lecturers and supervisors.

To strengthen their resilience, black international students have also been quick to seek the support of university services when they are available and build relationships with their South African peers.

Contributions to higher education

Exploring the role played by black international students towards the sustainable development of higher education in South Africa, Nwokedi and her associates noted that they bring with them diverse ideas, experiences and perspectives that lead to academic excellence and innovation in hosting universities.

The issue is that, although black international students bring a financial stream into the South African economy, they also help to reduce regional social and educational inequalities by promoting intercultural interactions and partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa.

But, despite such positive trends, Nwokedi and her group noted that this has not been easy for many black international students who felt isolated and excluded by their local peers and community due to the language barrier. “I find it very difficult to communicate with the locals here, as they make fun of me, and this makes me develop a lack of sense of belonging in this community,” one student told Nwokedi.

Several undergraduate and postgraduate students whom Nwokedi’s group interviewed expressed concerns over exclusionary practices that occur in lecture rooms and group work. “I found it difficult to interact or communicate with my classmates during lectures as they always sit according to their cultures or race. This makes me feel isolated and lonely,” said another student.

The process of acquiring and renewing official documents to study in South African universities was also identified as another problem that black international students regularly encountered, as study visas are renewed annually. One student told the researchers: “The South African immigration policy is very rigid for the black international students. I have been waiting for two years after I applied for a visa renewal, and I have still not heard or got any information from them.”

Subsequently, some students expressed frustration over neglect by the university administrators, whom they claimed were unwilling to assist. “Most of the staff in the international students’ office here are not willing to listen or help us if we have issues that urgently need to be resolved,” they said.

There are also indicators that black international students, especially undergraduates, suffer financial constraints, as most of them pay for their education in South African universities, as they are not on scholarship, either from their countries of origin or from South Africa. One of the interview participants said: “Scholarships and funding are for South African students, and international students are excluded.”

Black international students also complain of accommodation fees, whether at the universities or in private hostels. “Accommodation fees here are too unbearable. It makes me struggle to concentrate on my studies, as I am always thinking of how to pay my expenses,” one student told Nwokedi’s team.

However, some of the participants said they have not only built confidence but have set personal goals, engaging in independent learning and participating in extracurricular programmes. The issue is that, beyond finding refuge and resilience in their cultural focus groups, most black international students are successfully engaging in academic tasks.

For instance, one of them said: “I can analyse data very well now and develop my educational perspectives and philosophy.” Another told researchers that she has become a professional researcher and has acquired skills to enhance learning and research knowledge.

Nwokedi and her team found that many black international students, primarily postgraduate students, are engaged in independent learning and research activities. Others are doing well in university sports.

Promoting sustainable development

Nonetheless, despite various economic, cultural and social implications, Nwokedi and her associates noted that the presence of black international students in South African universities was promoting sustainable development through supporting many students from other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Nwokedi and her group, in their recommendations, called for further support of black international students through the enactment of policies that would promote increased internationalisation of university campuses, as well as encourage cultural diversity and inclusion in those institutions.

In this regard, the study recommends that South African universities develop and implement inclusive policies that will support black international students and engage them in sustainability initiatives that would enhance their varied experiences.

However, Nwokedi and her associates, in their current research, have established that, now and probably into the future, black international students will continue to be capable, active and resilient towards taking advantage of a sustainable learning environment in the South African universities.