Students still
‘ see the silver lining ’
The majority of tertiary students might be concerned about South Africa ’ s future over the next five years due to prevalent corruption , soaring unemployment and the economic devastation caused by COVID-19 , but some still see the “ silver lining ”.
This is the finding of the 2021 Student Confidence Index ( SCI ) survey , conducted late last year by PPS .
The survey has been conducted annually by PPS since 2015 , except in 2020 due to COVID-19 . The 2021 survey involved 3 304 participants .
The students who participated are undergraduates and postgraduates studying at a public university or university of technology , and studying towards a profession-specific degree such as engineering , medicine , law or accounting .
They responded to the survey through online questionnaires and virtual focus groups .
“ Of the respondents , 51 % are more anxious when compared to 2020 about the future impact of COVID-19 . Regarding their feelings about the country ’ s future over the next five years , 39 % are not positive , while 41 % say they are uncertain ,” says Motshabi Nomvethe , Head of Technical Marketing at PPS .
“ This is because of a confluence of problems such as comparatively low standards of education , crime and a lack of political will to solve them . For 88 % of the students , the debilitating unemployment , and for 77 % the rampant corruption , sit aloft their worry list ,” Nomvethe explains .
As a consequence , 55 % of respondents are somewhat or completely not confident that they will get a job after obtaining
their qualification . A growing number of students are , therefore , pursuing entrepreneurship . One in three students has a side hustle , with 31 % intending to grow these once employed . More than a third ( 39 %) of all respondents say they are planning to pursue greener pastures outside the country .
“ However , many students choose to see the silver lining and are determined to grab the opportunities presented by these challenges ,” says Nomvethe .
The students are taking full advantage of the rise in the freelance and side-hustle economy where people have multiple income streams . “ I have three side hustles . I am a ‘ fitness bunny ’ that sells supplement products and clothes that I buy in Pretoria and sell in my community . I also knit and sell scarfs ,” explained one student .
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