Varsity crisis threatens new intake of students
A STALEMATE between the government and students over university fees has put the future of thousands of matric pupils in the balance because some institutions have warned next year’s intake may have to be cancelled if classes do not resume soon.
Experts say the impact of a suspension of the current academic year — which would mean no new students can be accepted next year — would be dire. It will include:
A high dropout rate among vulnerable students who cannot afford to extend their studies to next year; ý Staff retrenchments; ý A possible drop in South Africa’s economic growth;
Added strain on education and health sectors, which rely on graduates; and
Less income from first-year fees for universities, which will result in a cashflow crisis leading to cutbacks in research and the collapse of study-abroad programmes.
Some have blamed the impasse on poor government leadership.
“There is a lack of leadership in government to provide bold solutions that are workable,” said Stellenbosch University education researcher Nic Spaull. “The hot potato is being passed from vice-chancellors to [Higher Education Minister Blade] Nzimande to the Presidency and no one is taking final responsibility for solving this issue.”
Spaull said the suspension of the academic year would have serious con- sequences “for a variety of people, not only incoming matrics”.
“If doctors and teachers and nurses cannot qualify this year, they cannot start working next year. There is a legitimate concern as to where the incoming students would stay, given that the residence accommodation would already be occupied.”
Education analyst Graeme Bloch said Continued on Page 4
If doctors and teachers can’t qualify this year, they can’t work next year
while the threats about Grade 12 access next year were a “smokescreen”, the situation was becoming increasingly polarised and destructive. “Attitudes are hardening. First and foremost, government should provide better and more decisive leadership instead of lecturing. Government needs to lead by listening and engaging with legitimate stakeholder representatives in order to jointly craft a fresh way forward.”
But calls for more hands-on input from President Jacob Zuma have received little response.
On Monday he made the opening address to delegates at a forum on the crisis in universities, but left before discussions started.
His spokesman, Bongani Ngqulunga, defended Zuma’s hasty exit, saying his role had been to “set the scene”. “He opened the meeting and then proceeded to a prior engagement. He left at the scheduled time. He does not do public engagements on a Monday; this was an exception.”
He said the Presidency had received a letter from the South African Union of Students on Thursday, requesting a meeting with Zuma. “It is being processed,” he said.
Department of Higher Education director-general Gwebs Qonde warned that the student unrest would have disastrous consequences for some of the 220 000 matriculants due to enter higher education next year.
He denied the government was unwilling to compromise. It was speaking to churches, civil society and other role-players to prevail on parents to get their children to return to class. “We cannot afford to lose this academic year,” said Qonde. He admitted that one of the government’s greatest challenges was engaging with unelected student leaders.
University of the Witwatersrand student leader Anzio Jacobs said: “We are asking for legislation to be implemented, we are asking for government to engage with us.
“But we are not being engaged, and the longer we are not being engaged, the more frustrated we become as students. We do want to go back to class, but how are we going to do this every year? We need to reach an end-goal now.”
Fasiha Hassan, Wits SRC secretary-general, said she was disappointed when she woke up on Friday to hear the general assembly planned for Wits had been called off. “We are not unreasonable. We want to talk, but we also need the university not to do nonsense like this,” Hassan said.
Wits spokesman Shirona Patel said the impact of a shutdown would be that students would not be able to complete the academic programme, research would not be completed, exams and graduations would be postponed.
“There will be fewer professionals in the workplace in 2017, and some of the challenges for international students include needing to extend their visas, accommodation and flights.”
University of Cape Town spokesman Elijah Moholola said the consequences of an extended shutdown would be dire. “The university will not be able to have any intake of students in 2017. This would cause a cash-flow crisis and various other knock-on effects.”
University of Limpopo vicechancellor Mahlo Mokgalong said suspending the academic year would be “one of the most regrettable things that could happen”. “You’re looking at not having place for 6 000 students who would have come into the university, at a registration upfront payment in the region of R3 000.”
Stellenbosch University spokesman Martin Viljoen said the financial implication of the ongoing student protests and subsequent shutdown at Stellenbosch was estimated at more than R220million.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal said it had come up with an academic recovery plan that would result in November being used to recover lost time.
But the university’s Howard College campus SRC president, Bandile Majola, said the students would not back down on their demand for free education. “The biggest issue is fees . . . if that issue is resolved we can get on with academic work.”
Economist Dawie Roodt said the impact of university closure would be “heavy”.