#Fees2017: Wits runs poll on resuming lectures

Photo: Ilanit Chernick

Photo: Ilanit Chernick

Published Sep 26, 2016

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Johannesburg - The University of Witwatersrand (Wits) on Monday ran a poll to allow students and staff to voice their opinion on whether lectures should resume next week or not.

“In order to facilitate as wide a response as possible to the current crisis, the University will run a poll later this week to gauge the thoughts of staff and students on the resumption of the academic programme on Monday, the 3rd of October 2016, if the appropriate security measures are in place. All responses will remain anonymous,” spokeswoman Sherona Patel said.

Patel said the university believed that the voices of the majority of students and staff needed to be heard.

Universities around the country including the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of Pretoria have been protesting against the increase of fees for 2017.

She said the university had received hundreds of emails calling for the academic programme to resume and has responded to these concerns.

“We are requesting the Independent Electoral Commission to oversee this process and to verify the results independently,” she said.

The Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande called for universities to make the decision on what percentage they would increase the fees, but said they were not allowed to exceed eight percent.

“If the majority of students and staff support the reopening on Monday, the university will call upon government and the police to meet their obligations to protect the university’s property and to safeguard the lives of students and staff,” Patel said.

She said the university was extremely concerned about the unfolding and growing crisis in the higher education sector and was calling for an urgent meeting between vice-chancellors, the higher education and training minister, justice and correctional services minister and the police minister in order to engage further on this matter.

“All university activities remain suspended until further notice. Senior management will continue to reach out to students in an attempt to engage on these critical issues,”

“Wits’ stability is important in the context of the broader higher education system. We cannot lose the academic year and we appeal to the university community and wider society to make your voices heard on this key issue of national importance that impacts on our collective futures,” Patel said.

She said if a conclusion was not reached on what would be done next week, more security would be deployed onto campus.

African News Agency

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