Pandor urges students to ‘focus’

Higher education and training minister Naledi Pandor has called on students to resist calls to shut down universities, saying such moves would have farreaching repercussions.

“It will severely affect the academic year, resulting in many not being able to finish their degrees on time, if ever,” the minister said on Monday.

“I urge all student organisations to focus on real student concerns and to make every effort to resolve problems without impacting on the academic programme,” she said.

She expressed concern at the disruption and closure of higher education institutions, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.

The University of KwaZuluNatal was closed on Monday, its academic programme suspended, after violent protests on its Durban campuses. There have also been protests at Unisa and Wits. Students have been protesting about accommodation, fees, and outstanding debts.

SA Students Congress Gauteng chair Luvuyo Barnes said the minister was out of touch with the challenges facing students, which ranged from financial exclusion to a lack of suitable accommodation.

Students were continuing with a hunger strike at Wits to raise awareness about an accommodation crisis, Barnes said. He claimed students without accommodation were forced to sleep in libraries and toilets.

Pandor said her department was ready to assist the universities, and she had instructed director-general Gwebinkundla Qonde and officials to provide support to those institutions affected by student protests. She had also directed the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to prioritise resolving student queries as a matter of urgency.