Durban Unisa campus opens after fees, exam venue revolt
THE DURBAN campus of Unisa was due to be reopened to students today, its vice-chancellor Professor Mandla Makhanya said.
Protests led by Unisa’s national and regional student representative councils (SRCs) broke out on campus on Monday over the closure of several exam venues, and a newly introduced admission fee.
Unisa’s student leadership demanded that Makhanya travel from Pretoria to address them yesterday, as students were still shut out and the roads surrounding the building were closed to traffic.
The SRC’s national secretary-general, Buyisile Njokeni, confirmed that students had decided to suspend the protest while discussions with Unisa leadership continued.
After the meeting yesterday, Makhanya told reporters that management and student body leaders needed to have “deeper” conversations to resolve their grievances. He said he had endeavoured to respond to them without plunging Unisa into a crisis.
Earlier this week, Njokeni said several exam venues near students’ homes had been closed without sufficient warning – an accusation the university has disputed.
Of Unisa’s 43 exam centres in KwaZulu-Natal, six were closed, said spokesman Martin Ramotshela.
Makhanya said there had been a “tussle” between Unisa and some of the service providers that leased the exam venues. Some landlords had shut their doors without notifying the university. He also said there had been some “contestations” over the cleanliness of some of the venues.
Makhanya said while he realised funding was an issue for many students, the newly introduced acceptance fee of R1 500 was necessary. It would ensure that students took up their places at Unisa and that the university did not end up printing study material for students who changed their minds about enrolling.
Njokeni said that despite suspending the protest, the SRC still rejected the fee.
Unisa’s new admissions policy means that prospective students may no longer apply for general admission, but for a specific qualification.
Makhanya said the changes were important in managing enrolment, to keep to the enrolment plans submitted to the Higher Education Department.