Identifying barriers and opportunities for student engagement in decision-making in a meal provision programme in South Africa

Résumé

Food insecurity is a major concern in universities and is associated with negative impacts on health, mental health, academic performance, and social problems. Universities have responded by implementing food security interventions. Programmes that promote student inclusion may strengthen programme uptake, efficacy and sustainability. However, there is a dearth of studies focusing on the factors associated with student engagement in decision-making in meal programmes in universities in the global South. There are also no studies focusing on both students' and managers' perspectives. In response, the study was guided by the following research questions. What are the barriers to student engagement in decision-making in a meal provision programme in South Africa? What are the opportunities for student engagement in decision-making in a meal provision programme in South Africa? If students could decide, what would their ideal meal provision programme look like? Framed by liberation psychology and using an exploratory qualitative study design, we interviewed ten participants (six student beneficiaries and four managers). While managers believed that student voices were adequately represented through the representative structure, students reported that they had little voice in decision-making. Mistrust was a barrier for both groups. Managers described two sources of mistrust: the potential for disruptive student party politics and potential exploitation by student beneficiaries. Students did not trust that the student representative body was willing and able to have their voices heard. We identified opportunities for more meaningful inclusion of student voices in decision-making. Reducing stigma and affirming dignity was an overlapping concern for both students and managers and could serve as a starting point for discussions. Students envisioned an ideal programme as integrated into existing university food outlets and in-house services. This study demonstrates the need to understand the role of different perspectives in shaping student engagement in programme decision-making.

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