Engaging At-Risk Students in Challenging Circumstances in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa, nearly three decades since the dispensation of democracy, boasts of its cultural diversity and the transformation of its educational system. Democratic education at the forefront of these endeavors have resulted in educational institutions adopting various responses to diverse student populations. However, in light of a global pandemic such as that of COVID-19, the cracks in the education system have been revealed, leaving policy makers and departments of education to find alternatives and emergency teaching approaches. The focus of this chapter is on how partnerships, embedded in multicultural education, can foster ways to engage at-risk students and elevate students to participate in their education in anticipation of escalating that participation in the context of global education. These partnerships both advance, and are anchored in local and non-local assets and collaboration with others – all of which constitute the context for multicultural education conditions.