Abstract:
The rise of the Covid-19 pandemic led South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, to declare a national
state of disaster on 15 March 2020. In response to the announcement, tertiary education institutions
and student residences around the country closed in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These
institutions were required to come up with remote teaching and learning solutions in a relatively short
period of time. While virtual classes on personal tablets may have become the global norm, many
South African students lack access to internet and data connectivity, and may rely on shared
or mobile devices off which to learn. In addition, glaring structural inequalities plague a multitude
of socio-economic factors in South Africa. These factors shape the household environment in
which many students have found themselves, and in which they have been expected to learn new
academic material.
