Protesting UFS Students
The majority of the parents who have registered their children at
University of the Free State in Bloemfontein main campus must be worried by now
as to; what will be the effects and fate of their children after the fees must
fall movement has subsided.
Considering the timing at which this movement peaked up, it must
definitely be likely to bear negative consequences to all students. However, if
it cannot come to the good senses of the activists of this movement, more
grievances are also yet to be experienced by most UFS students and parents.
Under normal circumstances, the third quarter at UFS is taken as a most
important time during which academic activities are finalised. Most
importantly, it is time at which students have to engage the gear for
examination`s mood. However the year 2016 has come up with a different
dispensation of fees must fall, that holds every university and academic
activities at their complete halt.
In the contents of letter written by Prof. Nicky Morgan, Acting Rector
of the University of the Free State on the University`s website to the Parents/Guardians and Students, dated 8th
October 2016; it is stated that approximately 6,000 students will not receive their complete
transcripts of their degrees and the certificates for their qualifications as a
results of fees must fall if it goes beyond the set exam schedules.
In not allowing the year to continue and students to finish, Prof.
Morgan reiterated that “we are throwing away the efforts that entire families
of poor people who have made for four or five years to put their children
through university.” Based on the contents of this letter, the promise of free
education for future generations means nothing to these families who are poor
at the present.
According
to Prof. Morgan the University is highly committed to support UFS students to put
pressure on the government to commit itself to accept the many suggestions put
forward to make free education possible within a negotiated timeframe. But he
also warns students and their parents that violence and property destruction
cannot bring any solution.
In his conclusion prof. Morgan believes that it is absolutely necessary
to find an amicable means of protesting and political action that will not
jeopardize the future of current students and the country’s desperate need for
critical skills.
However listening to student representative council president,
Lindokuhle Ntuli on the ENCA news, he vowed that
protest at the University would continue and that no classes would resume until
they convened a University assembly with management to agree on issues
including strategies on how the University and students cooperate to put
pressure on the government.
Also Ntuli showed that they have demanded a University meeting to be
held on Wednesday or Thursday for the University to address them on issues that
are currently happening and also to make its position very clear on how they
are going to support students protesting for free and quality education.
At the national level, President Jacob Zuma has just set up a
Ministerial Task Team that will help Blade Nzimande to normalize the situation
at higher education institutions. This gesture came as a result of realization
that numerous
Universities and tertiary institutions remained closed as students continue
with the Fees-Must-Fall protests.
In his state
address on SABC news on the 11th of October 2016 Mr. President Zuma
has urged cooperation with the Ministerial Task Team and has appealed to
students to return to classes while solutions are being sought.
 |
| Protesting UFS Students |
The majority of the parents who have registered their children at
University of the Free State in Bloemfontein main campus must be worried by now
as to; what will be the effects and fate of their children after the fees must
fall movement has subsided.
Considering the timing at which this movement peaked up, it must
definitely be likely to bear negative consequences to all students. However, if
it cannot come to the good senses of the activists of this movement, more
grievances are also yet to be experienced by most UFS students and parents.
Under normal circumstances, the third quarter at UFS is taken as a most
important time during which academic activities are finalised. Most
importantly, it is time at which students have to engage the gear for
examination`s mood. However the year 2016 has come up with a different
dispensation of fees must fall, that holds every university and academic
activities at their complete halt.
In the contents of letter written by Prof. Nicky Morgan, Acting Rector
of the University of the Free State on the University`s website to the Parents/Guardians and Students, dated 8th
October 2016; it is stated that approximately 6,000 students will not receive their complete
transcripts of their degrees and the certificates for their qualifications as a
results of fees must fall if it goes beyond the set exam schedules.
In not allowing the year to continue and students to finish, Prof.
Morgan reiterated that “we are throwing away the efforts that entire families
of poor people who have made for four or five years to put their children
through university.” Based on the contents of this letter, the promise of free
education for future generations means nothing to these families who are poor
at the present.
According
to Prof. Morgan the University is highly committed to support UFS students to put
pressure on the government to commit itself to accept the many suggestions put
forward to make free education possible within a negotiated timeframe. But he
also warns students and their parents that violence and property destruction
cannot bring any solution.
Also Prof. Morgan goes on to show that “We do not have the capacity to
teach double the number of students in the second semester.” This also misses the point that those
students who were completing modules in order to graduate, will waste an entire
year (assuming they have funding) to complete their degrees. This argument does
not see the knock-on effect that students, not promoting in modules from first
to second and second to third year and the likes will have. Finally, this also
misses the point of what will happen to students who have to repeat
first-semester modules.
In his conclusion prof. Morgan believes that it is absolutely necessary
to find an amicable means of protesting and political action that will not
jeopardize the future of current students and the country’s desperate need for
critical skills.
However listening to student representative council president,
Lindokuhle Ntuli on the ENCA news, he vowed that
protest at the University would continue and that no classes would resume until
they convened a University assembly with management to agree on issues
including strategies on how the University and students cooperate to put
pressure on the government.
Also Ntuli showed that they have demanded a University meeting to be
held on Wednesday or Thursday for the University to address them on issues that
are currently happening and also to make its position very clear on how they
are going to support students protesting for free and quality education.
At the national level, President Jacob Zuma has just set up a
Ministerial Task Team that will help Blade Nzimande to normalize the situation
at higher education institutions. This gesture came as a result of realization
that numerous
Universities and tertiary institutions remained closed as students continue
with the Fees-Must-Fall protests.
In his state
address on SABC news on the 11th of October 2016 Mr. President Zuma
has urged cooperation with the Ministerial Task Team and has appealed to
students to return to classes while solutions are being sought.
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