A capability-informed policy analysis of higher education access for rural youth in Botswana

Abstract

The thesis: A capability-informed policy analysis of higher education access for rural youth in Botswana, focused on rural youth’s experiences with arrangements with access in higher education to identify capabilities and constrain factors of access for the rural youth in Botswana. The mixed-method study found that factors within the home, school and community constrained participants’ agency to create pathways and aspirations for higher education. Furthermore, unevenly distributed resources increased participants’ vulnerability to unequal access which can have corrosive effect on students’ aspirations and achievement. Findings also suggest the few students who achieve access face challenges in satisfying basic material resources which decrease their opportunities of success in higher education. However, family support and school support emerged as significant factors enabling access. Despite systemic inequalities in education, students exercised agency to leverage limited opportunities, expanding their options for achieving educational goals.