The Socio-Psychological Impact of Academic Exclusion in a South African Rural-Based University

While forceful exclusion from academic activities has provided institutions of higher learning in South Africa with an effective deterrent strategy for dealing with academic laziness and financial non-compliance of students, it has also reinforced attitudes of intolerance and prejudice for the excluded students. This is worse for students studying at rural-based Higher Institutions of Learning (HIL), where access to modern learning tools and infrastructure for studies is often very limited. In such institutions, exclusion from academic activities discourages efforts and easily becomes a stumbling block for students' academic success. This article sets out to deepen this argument in a rural South African context. It draws from the experiences of five purposively sampled students to systematically explore the link between academic exclusion and three interrelated variables, namely: feelings of hopelessness, social anxiety, and loss of interest in academic activities. Given such linkage, the study, inter alia, argues for the introduction of alternative and more humane policies that recognise the students' efforts.