Registration fee breather for struggling students

Walter Sisulu University interim vice chancellor Professor Khaya Mfenyana has brokered a deal with students that will see those struggling financially not have to pay registration fees this year.

The Daily Dispatch has seen a copy of Mfenyana’s memo dated February 1 in which he says the decision followed a meeting with student political structures on Thursday last week.

“The meeting resolved that all NSFAS qualifying students will be allowed to register without minimum initial payment (MIP), including those with historic debt,” he said.

Other agreements included:

• The maintenance of residences at Ibika and building of new accommodation when the Department of Higher Education (DHET) made funds available;
• Release of academic records to owing students on request; and
• Ibika campus rector Prof Carlson Anyangwe will monitor enrolments to ensure that they are in line with WSU enrolment targets.

Students complained that the quotas were lowered this year and demanded that management reassess the matter.

Mfenyana said student leaders had also agreed to be part of an ad hoc committee to represent students while the formation of the SRC was being resolved.

“A proposed ad hoc structure to be put in place as a temporary measure so that the campus will be immediately opened was supported by all parties, but the disagreement was on the number of the representatives per structure,” Mfenyana said.

Other resolutions related to the scrapping of supplementary exams fees which were to be discussed further and that a plan be drafted on how outsourcing was going to be resolved.

WSU spokeswoman Yonela Tukwayo said the campus had initially been opened for staff in the morning.

She said students were allowed back from 4pm yesterday. “University operations resume as normal,” she said.

The spokeswoman said parties had agreed that a team together with student leadership will do room allocations at the student village only, while maintenance is carried out at the main residence.

“Students have agreed to vacate the student village when requested to do so to allow for maintenance work,” she said.

Tukwayo said the meeting took note of the commitment made by student leadership to maintain order at the Butterworth campus.

Staff members have been told to go back to campus as normal operations will resume today.

South African Students Congress deployee Luyanda Tenge said Mfenyana’s commitment would go a long way to helping students at other campuses. “The battle we have won is not only for Butterworth students but a victory for other campuses as well.”

He said students across campuses would be able to register and get their academic records as well.

The university yesterday also reopened its Ibika campus in Butterworth, which has been closed since last week following student protests.

Police last week diffused a potentially hostile situation after angry students blocked the N2, disrupting traffic.

University management claimed at the time the protest was over the formation of the student representative council (SRC).

It was initially announced before the SRC elections that seven seats would be allocated to the body.

However, none of the political formations contesting the elections emerged with an absolute majority.

Sasco and Pasma were each allocated three seats with the SCO getting one.

Anticipating a coalition between Pasma and SCO, Sasco went to court to challenge the original decision to allocate seven seats, saying the constitution of the university only allowed for six to be allocated.

The court found the SRC should be constituted. However, parties have since disagreed on how it should be done.

Student leaders denied yesterday that the protests were linked to the SRC issue, saying it was a separate matter and had been used by management as a ploy to divert attention from several grievances affecting them.

Pan-African Student Movement of Azania (Pasma) deployee Ayanda Makhabane said students had threatened to mobilise community members to be part of a mass protest.

“We told the VC (Mfenyana) that if he did not commit to our demands, there would be chaos. When we were embarking on this we knew that we are also representing other campuses.” —

msindisif@dispatch.co.za