Cape Town - The University of Cape Town (UCT) Student Representative Council (SRC) has criticised the exclusion of students by Africa’s top university due to fee blocks, calling for all academic activities to be suspended until these are lifted.
On the first day of the 2023 academic year yesterday, more than 250 UCT students gathered for a mass meeting called by the SRC after it announced the university would be shut and academic activities suspended over issues pertaining to student accommodation, fee blocks and student funding and financial aid.
A mass meeting was held on the Graça Machel lawns, while entrances to the campus were barricaded with tree branches and bins yesterday.
“The SRC has a very clear stance on fee blocks: they are a tool of oppression against black and poor students and should be eradicated altogether. Too many students have been robbed of their right to education and are faced with financial exclusion,” read an earlier statement by the SRC.
It has requested an emergency meeting with the UCT Council. Its demands include that fee blocks be lifted, the registration period be reopened for at least five working days after the lifting of fee blocks, with no late penalty, academically eligible students be provided with accommodation, policy related to fee blocks and financial exclusion be reviewed and that academic activity be suspended until fee blocks are lifted and extended registrations closed.
An SRC statement read: “We have watched this institution break our pockets with outrageous fees going up to R102 470 (for) tuition for the first year, implementing a 5.9% fee increment from last year’s already ridiculously expensive fees and charging up to R100 602 for residence fees.”
SRC vice-president Swazi Hlophe said the university had only agreed to a temporary solution by offering 70 beds for students, which would come to an end today.
In the past three weeks, more than 150 students had approached the SRC for accommodation. There were more than 300 students who had their residence offers revoked due to fee blocks.
“Some of the students with fee blocks aren’t even in residences. So it is possible that there is even a greater number that we are not certain of,” Hlophe said.
SRC president Hlengiwe Dube said: “What we were trying to do is get attention from management to say you cannot allow for the commencement of the academic year without ensuring that all the students that you have afforded an opportunity to be academically eligible, to continue without having the opportunity to either register or have housing.”
Dube confirmed that academic activities resumed after 11am. A number of students have also been defunded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), particularly in the law faculty.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said the actions, led by the SRC, had gone beyond the bounds of lawful protests and that the university would be moving its programme online until further notice.
“In light of the disruptions that occurred on Monday, and following a discussion with the broader Leadership Lekgotla, a decision has been taken to move the teaching and learning programme online with effect from Tuesday, until further notice.”
Faculties and/or departments unable to do this will make specific arrangements and communicate this to staff and students.
Staff were also advised to work remotely, with exception of essential service staff.
Moholola said any decisions relating to fee blocks are subject to Council policy.
The university had already put in place several measures to respond to issues relating to fee blocks and outstanding student debt such as the amending the fee debt threshold from R1 000 to R10 00, among others.
UCT management held a meeting on Monday, to consider other measures that can still be implemented.