Protest-free MUT gives credit to engagement
THE Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) will most probably not raise its fees next year.
This is in spite of the fact that it is one of the tertiary institutions in KwaZulu-Natal unaffected by the #FeesMustFall student protests that swept through the country in recent weeks.
Senior director of marketing and communications Mbali Mkhize told journalists in Durban yesterday that there would “probably not be an increase, but there are still going to be some discussions”.
She explained that at MUT, the student representative council (SRC) usually negotiated the fee increases with executive management “to give students the opportunity to engage with them and discuss what barriers they could be faced with if fees were increased”.
This year’s SRC elections were meant to take place last month, but were postponed due to concerns emanating from the student body that they had been rigged. They ended up only taking place on October 14, and because of this, the fee negotiation process has not yet taken place.
“But there may be no need for that process to even start because the concessions we have received from the state may cover the missing middle,” said Mkhize.
On how MUT “survived” #FeesMustFall, Mkhize said the key was stakeholder engagement.
Mkhize said parents were invited to a “state of the university” address, where executive management gave them information about the university’s financial state of affairs.
The University of KwaZuluNatal is expected to announce possible fee increases for 2017 before the year ends.
The Durban University of Technology earlier this month proposed an increase of 8 percent for next year, but SRC president Zama Mncube said students did not agree to this.
Meanwhile, the final week of lectures at Wits University began yesterday without any major setbacks after six weeks of violent protests.
Wits University spokesperson Shirona Patel confirmed classes went ahead without any major problems.
Students marched to the Hillbrow police station to show solidarity for four medical students who were appearing in court. The students were all released on bail of R1 000 each. They will appear again in court next month.
After marching to court, students with disabilities and workers took part in a peaceful demonstration at about lunchtime. The students handed over two memorandums to the dean of students, Dr Puleng Lenka-Bula.
University management remained adamant that it would complete the academic programme. Vice-chancellor Adam Habib reiterated that if the university was shut down, it would affect the majority of black students.
“They are the ones who don’t have the luxury to sacrifice the year, and it’s unconscionable for others to demand that they make sacrifices when they don’t know their personal circumstances. Our focus is to finish in the next three to four days.”