Dear Editor,

COVID-19 has undoubtedly highlighted some of the inequalities that exist within our education sector from the basic to tertiary level.

Scores of students have been deprived adequate access to online learning owing largely to the cost factor. These inadequacies have undoubtedly placed a strain on some institutions and their learners as both grapple with the adjustment to the ‘new normal’, which should be seeing its respite with the summer term/final semesters halting.

Students have had to grapple with transitioning from on-site to online and studying from the comfort, or lack thereof, of their homes, and possibly coping with a parent/guardian being temporarily unemployed. If that were not enough, imagine those students who now need to complete applications for scholarships or funding to continue their studies.

Many sponsoring organisations have not really taken into consideration the scores of students who, especially at this time, are in dire need of funding and cannot meet all application requests. With institutions physically closed for the rest of the semester, albeit coming to an end, many tertiary students may not be able to provide all the requirements being sought by some scholarship entities.

Many institutions simply do not possess the mechanisms to facilitate the granting of some of these documents virtually, thus rendering demands for official and certified documents onerous. Also, not every student will be able to make a trip to their institution to request and then pick up these documents.

It would seem prudent, therefore, that sponsoring organisations, in their call for applications, require a more flexible set of submissions, at the minimum.

Students seeking funding at this time should endeavour to find options or alternatives available to them, since deadlines are swiftly approaching. Communicating, promptly, the difficulties in accessing some types of supporting documentation might be in their best interest as well.

Richard Palmer

richardpalmerjm@gmail.com