Publications
Partners
Registration of first-year students was disrupted by a protest for “free education” at the North West University’s Mafikeng Campus, forcing management to seek a court interdict preventing any further disruption from tomorrow.
University spokesperson Louis Jacobs said second opportunity examinations which started late due to the postponement of examinations in December had to be written at an alternative venue off campus due to students’ fee protest. He said the court interdict was sought to prevent further disruptions of both registrations and examinations.
The campus’ students representative council president, Benz Mabengwane, confirmed that an interdict was served but said this would not stop them from raising students’ concerns and demanding free education for those who cannot afford university fees.
He promised that a “peaceful protest” would continue as they continued with the campaign to avoid the exclusion of any student from studying at this university”.
“We are not going to keep quiet when out of a total number of 5 048 students who applied for assistance from the National Students Financial Aid Scheme only 1 476 applicants were approved. Out of this number only 391 first year students from 2 687 applicants got funding,” Mabengwane said.
“We have returning students who are expected to complete this year but are tacitly told to go home because they do not have funds to complete their respective junior degrees. They have been rejected by everybody including National Students Financial Aid Scheme ... where are they supposed to go?”
The Mahikeng-based campus, formerly known as the University of Bophuthatswana, serves many students from poor and previously disadvantaged backgrounds who are mostly dependent on government funding and loans for their studies.
“We are not prepared to accept a situation where any student is sent back home because they cannot afford to pay for their studies. Registration must be free for those who cannot afford ... where else must they take that zeal to study?
“The silent response is that they should loiter on the streets of South Africa and join the drug addicts, thieves and robbers. This while the university uses money to pay lawyers for court interdicts and not using that money to help the needy students.”
Meanwhile, Jacobs referred to a January 13 communiqué to students and parents explaining the efforts made to enable most students to register.
The memo stated that students with financial problems would have their cases assessed individually and would consider academic performance, among other criteria.
“When as student qualifies for a merit bursary for an amount that will cover at least the first payment, that student will be allowed to register. The aim is to enable as many academically deserving and financially needy students as possible to register,” the memo read.
Those who owed the university money were asked to approach the university to make “urgent arrangements for the payment of all outstanding fees”.
The university said it “will not be possible for all students to register notwithstanding all” arrangements made like the above.
Mabengwane said they were going to fight against the exclusion of any students due to financial difficulties.
“No student must be sent home because they can’t afford the exorbitant R7200 needed for them to register. Universities must disclose how much they have in reserves and finance students,” he said.
