Exams went off without a hitch at Rhodes University yesterday.
Early yesterday morning, more than 200 students sat for a pharmacology exam, while over 400 others wrote an economics test in the afternoon.
Both exams were written under heavy security and a set of stringent rules imposed by the university.
Armed police and private security personnel were guarding the university’s Great Hall and Mullins Hall.
Rhodes on Wednesday gave students the choice of writing their final exams – either in November or January.
There was a bit of tension when #FeesMustFall activist, Makwena Manaka, confronted a student who had come out of the pharmacology exam.
A visibly irate Manaka asked the student why she had chosen to write the exam, while those who chose not to write had made sacrifices.
“We are as scared as you are. We are fighting for you. We put our careers on the line for you.
“There are students doing accounting, there’s students doing law. They can’t practise because they have been to jail and yet you go to lectures. Why?”
Students said they had been body searched and told they could not bring their own water into the exam venue.
The university had earlier set out several rules, including one that stipulated students were not allowed to disrupt exams.
One student, who was due to write economics, said he would have preferred to write in January but had no choice as his funder had said if he did not write now, he would have to find himself a job.
On Wednesday evening, students at a meeting resolved to start a petition against the writing of exams. The petition was to be handed to the university’s vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela. At the time of writing yesterday, students had not yet handed in the petition and the economics exam went off without a hitch.
Another #FeesMustFall leader was denied access to the Great Hall exam venue after being told he had chosen to write his exams in January. Vuyisani Sigingqi became involved in a verbal confrontation with university staff after having stepped out of the exam venue to fetch a calculator.
Sigingqi claimed he was targetted for his role in the protests.
“I am one of the prominent #FeesMustFall leaders so it’s not by chance that I was told to not enter the venue.” — silusaphon@dispatch.co.za
Rhodes starts exams: No disruptions as 600 students get down to the task
Early yesterday morning, more than 200 students sat for a pharmacology exam, while over 400 others wrote an economics test in the afternoon.
Both exams were written under heavy security and a set of stringent rules imposed by the university.
Armed police and private security personnel were guarding the university’s Great Hall and Mullins Hall.
Rhodes on Wednesday gave students the choice of writing their final exams – either in November or January.
There was a bit of tension when #FeesMustFall activist, Makwena Manaka, confronted a student who had come out of the pharmacology exam.
A visibly irate Manaka asked the student why she had chosen to write the exam, while those who chose not to write had made sacrifices.
“We are as scared as you are. We are fighting for you. We put our careers on the line for you.
“There are students doing accounting, there’s students doing law. They can’t practise because they have been to jail and yet you go to lectures. Why?”
Students said they had been body searched and told they could not bring their own water into the exam venue.
The university had earlier set out several rules, including one that stipulated students were not allowed to disrupt exams.
One student, who was due to write economics, said he would have preferred to write in January but had no choice as his funder had said if he did not write now, he would have to find himself a job.
On Wednesday evening, students at a meeting resolved to start a petition against the writing of exams. The petition was to be handed to the university’s vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela. At the time of writing yesterday, students had not yet handed in the petition and the economics exam went off without a hitch.
Another #FeesMustFall leader was denied access to the Great Hall exam venue after being told he had chosen to write his exams in January. Vuyisani Sigingqi became involved in a verbal confrontation with university staff after having stepped out of the exam venue to fetch a calculator.
Sigingqi claimed he was targetted for his role in the protests.
“I am one of the prominent #FeesMustFall leaders so it’s not by chance that I was told to not enter the venue.” — silusaphon@dispatch.co.za
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