Minister endorses revised 6 percent fee increase
Fees hike, permanent jobs for cleaners among grievances
THE TOUGH work of selling an inflation-related 6 percent fee hike cap to students demonstrating for no increases started today at various universities, after an agreement between the higher education minister, university vice-chancellors and student representatives.
This proposed 6 percent increase limit is less than the over 10 percent hike initially announced – the spark for the #FeesMustFall at several universities countrywide – but falls way short of the zero per- cent increase demanded by students, who are set to back up their call by shutting down tertiary education for the day.
After yesterday’s more than four-hour-long meeting in Cape Town, High Education Minister Blade Nzimande and Universities South Africa, the organisation representing vice-chancellors, touted the agreement as a “collective” stance to create “an enabling environment” for individual institutions to hold their tuition fee negotiations for next year.
This while a task team would report back within six months on a long-term sustainable fee increase framework from 2017 onwards.
However, Nzimande confirmed that “a final decision is still left to the institutions”.
The possibility of other issues, including the upfront registration fees, which range from around R7 800 at the University of Stellenbosch, about R10 000 at Wits University to some R24 000 at the University of Cape Town, may also be put on the table once negotiations start.
While agreeing that the proposed fee increase cap presented a workable starting point, South African Union of Students deputy president Tebogo Thothela emphasised it had to be taken back to the universities for further discussion and negotiations.
“We don’t decide. This forum does not have the power to decide,” Thothela told The Star afterwards, adding that he had been in touch with Student Representative Councils, which the union represents, throughout the meeting.
Earlier, Thothela said the students’ demand for free tertiary education still stood. “The vice-chan- cellors must still go back… That’s where the discussions really lie.”
The vice-chancellors of Wits and Rhodes universities said the process of discussions would start today. Wits vice-chancellor Professor Adam Habib said the first step would be to brief council, brief students and get everyone to come to the negotiation table. “Hard questions and decisions lie ahead.”
Rhodes vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela said: “I hope the students will see the wisdom of what has been proposed.”
STUDENTS across the country want to shut down all higher education institutions by Friday over the planned fee increases.
Student leaders yesterday confirmed that the ongoing protests across major university campuses have been planned to force institutions and the government to reconsider the high fee increments and outsourcing of workers.
The campaign to close the institutions is being led by the movements #FeesMustFall and #EndOutSourcing, together with the student representative councils (SRCs).
“We are communicating as student leaders across all campuses. We are fighting for free education in our lifetime. As students, we have tried to engage institutions but they don’t want to listen. If we close all campuses, then Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande will notice and take our demands seriously,” Brian Kamanzi of #FeesMustFall and #EndOutSourcing said.
Since last week there have been protests over the proposed increases in fees at Wits University, as well as the universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch, KwaZulu-Natal, Rhodes and Fort Hare.
#FeesMustFall and #EndOutSourcing said they were mobilising students at North West University’s Potchefstroom campus, among others, to join the protests. The University of Johannesburg and University of Pretoria were expected to begin protests this morning.
Last night, the University of Pretoria announced that all academic activities had been suspended at its campuses. The move was to allow “peaceful engagement on key issues affecting the institution”, according to management. They said all exams and tests would be rescheduled.
Students across all campuses are not only calling for zero fee increments but are also demanding that the institutions stop outsourcing workers such as cleaners and gardeners. They demand that the workers be employed directly by the universities.
Most of these workers have also joined the protests. When students shut down the Wits Medical School in Parktown yesterday, cleaners were part of the group.
One cleaner said she earns R2 700 a month. “How can I afford the fees at Wits with that much? When we ask Professor Adam Habib (Wits vicechancellor and principal) for a pay rise, he says we must study and teach at Wits so we can afford the fees. How can I afford to study when I can’t even pay for my child’s fees?” the cleaner asked.
The Wits Medical School campus was the only one that still operated since the fee protests started last week.
While protesters were dancing and singing outside the campus, a motorist in a car tried to run over the students.
This was the second time a car had tried to run over students this week.
On Monday, a man tried to run them over on Empire Road. His car had its windscreen smashed before it was overturned.
Wits University’s incoming SRC president, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, encouraged students who were gathered at the entrances of the medical and education campuses not to lose hope as they would win the fight.
“We are very sober comrades and we know what we are fighting for. We will remain non-violent. Tonight we will have a mass study session,” he said.
For the study session, she encouraged students to bring air mattresses, food, water and their books.
Students and staff members marched from Parktown to Braamfontein, where the study session and a concert by singer Simphiwe Dana was to take place.
A statement by 46 Wits academic staff members released yesterday indicated that they support students.
“We are concerned at the lack of leadership shown by the management of Wits University, including its council, the vice-chancellor and deputy vice-chancellors, in addressing the critical concerns raised by students.
“We believe this has unnecessarily exacerbated tension between students and management, led to the potential for violence against students and created unsafe conditions on campus,” the statement read.
Wits spokeswoman Shirona Patel said academic activities had been suspended until Monday. “Management is trying to get student leaders to come to the table to negotiate.”