Abstract:

During the colonial dispensation, Namibia was divided into homelands based on tribal and linguistic jurisdiction. The division resulted in some educational, economic and social marginalisation among some communities in Namibia. Higher education remains the pathway rewarding career prospects and contributes to individuals’ physical and cognitive well-being. Moreover, an educated nation contributes to the local economic growth and global transformation. Despite fundings, poor academic achievement and dropouts remain worrisome among student from marginalized backgrounds. Poor academic success reflects forms of exclusion and further necessitates interrogations on the effectiveness of availed support services as equity measures to support these students. This PhD work in progress employed a convergent mixed methods design that allowed the researcher to collect qualitative and quantitative data independently but concurrently, analyse them separately, and merge the results to confirm or disconfirm each other (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The paper explored and discussed the perceived roles of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in supporting students from marginalised backgrounds in the Namibia context. Using Schlossberg’s transition theory intertwined with the Diversity Equity and Inclusive (DEI) to describe the unique backgrounds and characteristics of students from marginalised backgrounds, their transitional encounters into higher education, their support needs, and the roles of higher education in ensuring equitable access.

Keywords:

Marginalised, marginalisation, equity, marginalised communities, marginalised backgrounds.