Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal of Educational Development journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijedudev Exploring the recruitment and training of peer facilitators in a South African University Magdaline Tanga a, ⁎ , Cosmas Maphosa b a Faculty of Education, University of Fort Hare (Alice Campus), PB X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa b Faculty of Education, University of Fort Hare (East London Campus), PB X9083, East London 5201, South Africa ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Peer support Academic programme Academic challenges Recruitment and training Academic performance ABSTRACT The high failure and retention rates at universities, despite peer academic support programmes, have necessi- tated a critical exploration of the recruitment and training of peer facilitators. Face to face in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used as data collection methods Twenty one participants working with dif- ferent programmes and ten first year undergraduate students in the university under study were purposefully selected. The findings revealed that while the overwhelming majority of peer facilitators were recruited fol- lowing laid down procedures and based on merits, a few were appointed to certify the rules of affirmative action. Also, while the training of peer facilitators at the Teaching and Learning Centre was effective, regular and undertaken by qualified consultants, those at the different departments received once-off training. The con- tribution of peer facilitators to students’ academic performance and retention rate cannot be overemphasised. Therefore, critical factors such as the quality and maturity of the peer facilitators, the quality of training and content were cited as key issues that needed attention if peer facilitation was to make a difference in the aca- demic lives of students. The major recommendation, among others, is that one central body should be re- sponsible for the recruitment and training of all peer facilitators across all the departments of the university. 1. Introduction Quality education has become the priority of most higher education institutions in the world. Among the most vigorously debated issues in higher education institutions throughout the world today are the aca- demic challenges faced by students and the implementation of effective strategies to ensure successful retention and throughput. Prior to 1994, the South African education system was characterised by discrimination and was based on racial lines. In order to ensure equity and to redress the injustices of the past in the domain of higher education, after the first democratic elections of 1994 the new government introduced a number of new policies (Council on Higher Education [CHE], 2003), including the White Paper on Higher Education (Act 101 of 1997), the Higher Education Quality Committee Institutional Audit Framework for education for South Africans or HEQC (2004), the CHE (2003) and the South African Qualification Authority [SAQA] (2001). Most universities in Africa, particularly in South Africa, have developed mechanisms to improve the quality of both teaching and learning and formulated po- licies to develop and improve both of these essential components of education. These policies have ensured increased access and admission to higher education for previously disadvantaged students (CHE, 2003). In addition, they have embraced inclusivity, diversity and multi-cul- turalism in higher education in South Africa and they are based on what Verieva (2006:105) has termed “constitutionalism” in their commit- ment to redressing the inequalities and discrimination of the past in the sector. In order to attain the goal of redressing the educational imbalances of the past and transforming the higher educational sector, some higher education institutions have opted for Senate Discretionary Exemption and Recognition of Prior Learning policies, particularly in previously disadvantaged universities (Department of Higher, 2012). These po- licies enable students who do not meet the entry requirements for a degree course to be admitted without being prejudiced by their weak matriculation results (Makura et al., 2011). The aim of these policies is to increase access to higher education in order to achieve what is now commonly known as the massification of higher education (Cloete and Bunting, 2000). It is generally acknowledged in South Africa that the populations, from which the students enrolling at the previously disadvantaged universities are drawn, to a large extent, tend to be those of provinces which are characterised by poor socio-economic development, poor performance in matriculation examinations, high poverty levels and http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2017.08.005 Received 6 March 2017; Received in revised form 29 May 2017; Accepted 11 August 2017 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: mtangwe@ufh.ac.za (M. Tanga), cmaphosa@ufh.ac.za (C. Maphosa). International Journal of Educational Development xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx 0738-0593/ © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Please cite this article as: Tanga, M., International Journal of Educational Development (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2017.08.005