Academic exclusion of Health Sciences students in South African higher education institutions - A rationale for institutional policy and processes

Background. Academic exclusion is practised in many national and international higher education institutions (HEIs), significantly impacting students’ futures. Associated stress and anxiety remain a source of conflict between all role players. Reasons for, and the rationale behind, academic exclusion are complex and multifactorial. Objectives. To investigate and describe contemporary practices and core themes relating to academic exclusion by reviewing the academic policies and procedures in a sample of six South African HEIs within a health professions education context. Methods. A prospective, pragmatic design was followed. This involved simple content analysis of source documents to identify similarities and differences in approach to academic exclusion, including the rationale and potential implications thereof. Results. The rationale for exclusion remains multifactorial. The majority of institutions linked exclusion to continued poor performance and failure to complete qualifications within the maximum time. All institutions allowed for an appeal process; however, this differed significantly between institutions. Conclusion. There is a clear, defendable rationale for the exclusion, and practices that seek to prevent students from continuing should be guided by policies and procedures that are clear and contextually relevant. While the right to appeal exclusion is supported, arbitrary support for such appeals in the absence of merit defeats the aims, objectives and rationale for exclusion.