The South African Students Congress remains concerned with the perpetuation of a two-tier education system during the COVID19 pandemic. The COVID19 pandemic continues to highlight the inequalities of the higher education system and the organisation believes that the Department of Higher Education missed an opportunity to drive transformation within the sector, furthermore, the Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDI’s) are in grave danger of losing the 2020 academic year.
The organisation had commended the announcement made by Minister Blade Nzimande for the return of 33% of student’s to campuses, with the view that it would drive the sector to save academic year without depriving students of a conducive living and learning environment. However, institutions like the University of Fort Hare; WSU; TUT; VUT; etc are still yet to restart the academic year since the announcement by the minister.
The University of Fort Hare has failed to provide laptop’s and data to its student body as promised. Due to student protests during the registration period, it is important to note that Fort Hare has only had one week of academic activity in 2020 and continues to lose valuable time. The university is yet to conclude its registration cycle and had failed to process numerous NSFAS appeals.
Walter Sisulu University has started with the distribution of laptops in a rather slow pace with data distribution remaining a major issue, The proposed return date of August 2020 further deepens the present crisis of the lost time. WSU has failed to produce a concrete academic recovery plan and shows no signs of remedying the systemic problems of student accommodation adherence to COVID19 regulations.
TUT has yet again dismally failed to prepare for the return of students back to their respective campuses, with the initial return plan being August, the university has failed to create a rational plan to return students back to campus. TUT further postponed a return date to campuses, this is inclusive of the 33% return dictated by the Department. The university fails to conjure up a plan to effectively transition into remote online learning, with numerous faculties being left behind and only a handful progressing with online learning.
The snail pace of distribution of laptops to run online learning seemingly is a problem too, TUT fails dismally in having an effective way of saving the academic year, this continued negligence of historically black disadvantaged universities exacerbates the view of a two-tier higher education system in South Africa.
Disappointingly the Vaal University of Technology is not devoid of the above-mentioned problems, with their heightened problems of cleanliness and growth of death and infection rates due to the virus. This is due to their weak follow through on regulations and has put the lives of students in harm’s way. This level of blatant negligence on the part of USAF and the department is criminal.
As the South African Students Congress we, therefore, call for an immediate:
– Suspension of online or remote e-learning until all laptops are delivered.
– An appointment of a Task Team inclusive of all stakeholders to monitor compliance with the regulations.
– Establishment of quarantine sites on campuses, outside residences.
– Use of Campus clinics as testing centres for Workers and Students.
– Dissolution of the MUT University Council.
– Dismissal of WSU VC with his corrupt core of management.
– Dismissal of UFH VC with his core of management.
– A dedicated Task Team for TVET colleges inclusive of all stakeholders to run oversight.
We are of the firm belief that implementation of the above-mentioned recommendations will be a beginning of a step in the right direction, we are fully aware that some problems are systematic but the failures are perpetuated by corrupt and negligent elements which preside over these institutions whom are consciousness and driven by greed.
Enough is Enough.
#StaySafe
#StayHome
Issued by SASCO NEC
Bamanye Matiwane (President)
President@sasco.co.za
Buthanani Ngwane (Secretary General)
sg@sasco.co.za
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