Level heads, not anarchy, needed to move education forward
THE violence, mayhem and destruction at our universities seems to be never-ending.
Students have a right to agitate for affordable education, but every right is equally balanced with a responsibility.
Recent newspaper and TV reports have been painting a bad picture of our tertiary institutions locally and internationally.
The violent actions of the students – burning buildings, vehicles and causing anarchy is doing little to advance their cause.
Some psychologists are attributing the violence enacted by the students, coupled with an element of criminality, to unfulfilled promises.
Students may be under the impression that they have exhausted all forms of protest and, as a last resort, express themselves via attention-catching publicity. This, they feel, may jolt the authorities into action. Irrespective of the terminology used to highlight violent action, it has to be condoned.
Each university is saddled with its own peculiar problem that students want resolved.
The University of KwaZulu- Natal students want outsourcing terminated and it directly to employ gardeners, cleaners, administrators and lecturers.
Students at the UCT and the Durban University of Technology are fighting over the issue of a lack of accommodation, while the University of Pretoria is embroiled in a race war between protesting black students and their Afrikaner counterparts. The black students want Afrikaans to fall while white students are saying it is their right to be taught in the language.
At this juncture, level heads are needed to move education forward.
Negotiation is about compromise. It is a give and take situation. Being overtly militant with a rigid stance on issues will never culminate in a positive outcome. Therefore, students need to understand that change is a gradual process.
However, clear timelines need to be negotiated for realistic demands to be placed on the table.
It is an utter shame and disgrace to see our institutions of higher learning being vandalised and burnt. Damage worth millions of rand has been caused by irresponsible students whose sole intention is to wreak havoc while disrupting the academic programme and, at the same time, threatening safety and security.
From the snippets flashed on our television screens, it seems that a handful of students with a criminal agenda are hijacking peaceful protest action which eventually turns violent causing damage to property and vehicles.
The culprits identified and implicated in acts of violence and damage to property are treated very lightly and, in most cases, released with a warning. This student protest mess needs to be brought to finality as soon as possible. All role players need to be constructively engaged to get students back into the lecture halls.
The skills to drive our sluggish economy forward rests in the hands of some of our diligent, conscientious students. It’s time the government takes a decisive step to end this anarchy or we will be in danger of going through a whole year without constructive lecturing and learning taking place. VIJAY SURUJPAL
Phoenix