Mabizela’s outlook for 2017

“The recent #feesmustfall protests have brought to the fore the unequal distribution of resources in our society. This is a recipe for instability. We cannot continue to be indifferent to the plight of the poor in our society.”

These were the words of Dr Sizwe Mabizela, Vice-Chancellor of Rhodes University, at a media briefing in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday ahead the start of the academic year next week.

Mabizela spoke on the theme, “The doors of learning should stay open for all”.

He said Rhodes University believed free education should be provided to poor and academically deserving students.

“We must devise financially sustainable mechanisms to fund the missing middle,” Mabizela said. "These are the children of civil servants who are so indebted that they cannot even access loans to finance their children’s education.

“It is critical that the government find ways to assist these children to access education.”

Universities in many parts of the country are already experiencing funding-related crises, with students also facing accommodation difficulties.