UWC calls off classes for the rest of week

THE University of the Western Cape (UWC) has postponed classes for the week after student disruptions.

Students disrupted lectures on Monday, calling for the postponement of the start of the academic year, clearance of debt for registration and for more student accommodation.

In a letter to rector and vicechancellor Tyrone Pretorius, the SRC said debt clearance and registration had been delayed by Student Credit Management’s “insistence to refuse bulk clearance of students through categories and their refusal to use acknowledgement of debt, in an attempt to protect the financial interests of the institution”.

The SRC said that at least

7 500 students were not registered.

The institution said: “UWC has decided to postpone the academic programme this week. This will allow students who have not registered to complete the process.

“Normal university activities will continue even though classes have been suspended.

“Academics will upload necessary content on the Ikamva student portal. Classes will resume on Monday.”

Meanwhile, SRC president Sasha-Lee Douglas addressed a gathering of students, saying UWC would not open until issues were resolved.

“Thousands of UWC students are being denied access to education. We are calling on every student to join us in this just call to make sure that when we enter our classes, we enter with our brothers and sisters whether you are funded or not, whether you are cleared or not, whether you are registered or not.

“UWC has consistently failed to provide adequate accommodation for its students,” Douglas said.

“There is no institution that is going to open while they are actively excluding the children of the poor and working class.

“We are going to make sure that they hear us. There is no student going to be left behind.”