Johannesburg – After a long and strenuous day of arguing for free education during the Higher Education Multi-Stakeholder Summit, university student leaders on Monday, walked off shaking their heads and unsatisfied at the conclusion of the event.
This comes after a one-day multi-stakeholder Summit called by the Department of Higher Education and Training called to find an immediate and long-lasting solution to the tertiary education fees impasse.
The Summit brought together various sectors including business, labour, faith-based, students, parents and university management.
The Presidential Commission is currently investigating the feasibility of a new model for free higher education in the country and has a mandate to provide the full report by June 2017.
Universities across the country have been plunged into a state of paralysis since announcement by Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande that tertiary institutions could hike their fees for 2017, but not by more than eight percent.
Key among the grievances of Students Representative Council (SRC) leaders on the day was President Jacob Zuma’s perceived “arrogance” at not allowing students to address him, instructing them to write him a letter raising their concerns instead.
“You have ‘ANC Mondays’ while the country is burning. This is the kind of arrogance we’re dealing with,” said Sthembiso Ndlovu, secretary-general of South African Union of Students (SAUS).
Zuma had delivered the keynote address at the forum before leaving to attend to other matters of the African National Congress (ANC) at Luthuli House.
Proceedings were briefly halted before adjourning for lunch when students protested against continuing the meeting in Zuma’s absence, demanding that Nzimande call Zuma to come back.
Rorisang Moseli, University of Cape Town SRC president, said he did not know what to tell his constituency when he goes back, but was hoping they had seen how much of a fight student leaders had put up.
“We know that at least there is enough funding for free education, for at least the poor. We need the government to assist us. The Commission can look into how, the different models and what works best,” Moseli said.
“That’s what 2018 is about, the modelling of funding. People need to have political will in saving our higher education institutions and maintaining the quality and stability of our country.”
Fasiha Hassan, SRC secretary-general of the University of Witswatersrand said they could not go back to report to the student body when the forum did not resolve on any follow-up meeting.
“We have been talking but no one has been listening. Talk with no action. We want free education,” Hassan said.
The Summit adopted a Declaration with four key priorities while acknowledging that the current unrest posed great risk to the successful completion of the 2016 academic programme, university property and the safety of students and staff.
The Summit called for the academic programmes to resume as a matter of urgency and the continuation of critical work to provide medium to long-term solutions to student funding.
Also among the priorities would be the continuation of dialogue between all parties and peaceful protests.
In his closing remarks, Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande said implementing free education was the “ultimate goal” of ANC-led government, but it was not something government can do alone.
“We have heard you all loud and clear. We have heard the student leadership telling us about the pressures they are facing. We have heard the pleas from across our society that the coming weeks and months should remain peaceful and focused,” Nzimande said.
Nzimande also said stakeholders must recognise that there were two clear and distinct phenomena in this issue.
“Firstly, we all agree that there is a genuine issue around the affordability of higher education and training, as we strive to sustain the ability of our institutions to hold their weight as places of learning, teaching, and research in the international arena,” Nzimande said.
“And secondly, there is ongoing destruction and intimidation by tiny groups. Destruction and intimidation we agree must stop. We have watched very closely throughout today what has been going on at the universities.”
Meanwhile, the ANC on Monday called on protesters to respect the rights of those students who wished to resume their studies, saying the academic programme must not be compromised.
African News Agency