University Protests: What’s happening on SA’s university campus’?
Reports of a hunger strike at Wits might have been misleading, but there are undoubtedly chords of discontent being strummed by SA’s student populous.
UWC announced on Wednesday that they would be postponing the academic programme for the year, while on the other side of the country, UKZN had done the same on Tuesday.
What’s going on with SA universities?
It would appear that the latest wave of student protests has kicked off in earnest before anyone’s had a chance to take a look at the syllabus.
“The University of the Western Cape’s Executive has decided to postpone the academic programme this week. This will allow students, who have not registered, to complete the processes,” a spokesperson for the university said.
“Normal university activities will continue even though classes have been suspended,”.
“Classes will resume on Monday, and more information will be made available this week.”
Unfurling chaos as students burn buildings.
UWC students disrupted their first lectures of the year on Monday, calling for the postponement of the academic year among other things, while UKZN remains volatile after several buildings were burned to the ground.
“”Protesters committed acts of arson and damaged property on the Pietermaritzburg and Westville campuses last night and in the early hours of this morning,” UKZN spokesperson Ashton Bodrick said on Tuesday.
“University RMS have locked down certain areas of the campuses at night, increased the number of security staff deployed and is conducting frequent checks at student residences.”
Academic programmes have been suspended until Friday at the university “in the best interest of the University”.
Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, said that the scenes in KZN were unacceptable.
“It is unfortunate that we are having to deal with such senseless destruction of the university and private property. These attacks look like well orchestrated acts of sabotage and criminality.”
He continued that for students burdened with debt to register, they need only “sign an acknowledgement of debt form and meet the required academic targets to receive continued funding”.
Student demands
The SLC at UWC and UKZN are demanding that they receive full clearance to register for the academic year, which would entail allowing students who failed core modules to register, or who are in the red when it comes to student debt.
They submitted an open letter to university management on Monday.
“All qualified NSFAS students have been cleared and registered. But the University will never turn away an academically deserving student on the grounds of student debt,”
UWC spokesperson Gasant Abarder
No comments: