THE STUDENT MOVEMENT HONOURS Bab’ Tshabalala the music legend and Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder and shall be using the song “Homeless’ to capture the frustrations of many students in our country who yearn for the decent, affordable and safe student housing/accommodation.
The South African Students Congress (SASCO) held a successful National Congress at St George’s Hotel from on the 7 -8 February 2020. This was the second session of the National Congress after the National Congress that convened at Port Elizabeth failed to conclude its business in December 2019. The National Congress reflected on the need for SASCO to continue to exist within Higher Education and South African society in general. The National Congress was a platform for the organisation to discuss and assess the policies in our sector and further resolve on what needs to be done to systematically transform Higher Education from Ivory towers to people’s education for people’s power. The Congress further elected its new leadership with a new mandate for the next two (2) years.
On Right To Learn Campaign (RTLC)
The annual Right To Learn Campaign has since commenced from the 3rd of January 2020 and shall continue throughout the year to ensure maximum throughput in all institutions of higher and really reaffirm our principle of lifelong learning and academic excellence in practice. The Right to Learn Campaign is our yearly campaign as an organisation that seeks to reverse the systematic exclusion of poor students from working class background from accessing higher education and training. SASCO is not satisfied with the number of students enrolled at the public colleges and universities. The numbers of applications institutions of higher learning in our country receive are not congruent to the available spaces and spaces offered by the media. We therefore call on all our institutions to increase quota for enrolment.
The implementation of fee free higher education has led to many universities increasing their Admission Point Scores (APS) so as to continue gate keeping some professions; this is more prevalent in previously white and advantaged universities. As an organisation we call on standardization of APS scores and enable us to advance towards a single coordinated higher education in the land.
The Central Application Clearing House (CACH) system has overtime proven to be less effective, as it guarantees no prospective student space in universities and TVET colleges and is to an extent exclusionary to those in remote areas of the country without or poor internet coverage. The CACH system is exclusionary and failing and therefore must be looked into going forward.
We will be convening a National RTLC Rally in KZN mid March to reflect and report on our achievements and setbacks throughout the campaign.
21st National Congress Resolutions
The National Congress that sat over the past weekend was characterized with robust discussions on both sessions.
We resolved on the following:
Reaffirm implementation of fee free higher education
Free education from market fundamentalism
Free our education from colonial domination
Resolve student housing and accommodation crisis through student cities and villages.
Urgent appointment of NSFAS Board
Private sector involvement in funding free education
Relook into the funding model for fee free education.
The full report of resolutions will be sent to structures and Branches.
On Graduate Alive Campaign
We will be rolling out a campaign that will seek to deal with high level of mental health illnesses and other sort of illnesses. Ensure maximum student safety and address gender based violence. Create conducive environment for the LGBQI+ community.
TVETMUSTRISE
• Improve infrastructure back lock
• Curriculum content must seek to address societal and industry based needs.
• TVET colleges must register more technical students than commercial ones.
• Use modern Technical and technologically advanced High Schools after hours for the purpose of TVET College classes.
• Reduce enrolment of commercial students in TVET and therefore creating more space for vocational and technical students.
ON SONA EXPECTATIONS
As it has become public knowledge that the President of the Republic of South Africa will be presenting the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and we expect him to make the following commitments:
- Commitment to build more new universities and improve already existing ones, in particular the historically disadvantaged and black campuses.
- Make bold commitment towards resolving student accommodation.
Should President fail to declare these emergency student issues, we will take war at his door step and demand to be taken serious.
Silale’Maweni
HOMELESS@HOME
End!
Issued by SASCO NEC
For more information:
Bamanye Matiwane
President
079 026 5759
Or
Buthanani Ngwane
Secretary General
073 257 5677