No student who is academically capable should be excluded from studying at university on financial grounds, says Parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education and training.
This after the committee met with management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) earlier this week to discuss fee increases following two weeks of protest by students.
The committee also criticised the university for not listening to the student leadership’s concerns over fee increases.
In addition, it urged management to cancel court interdicts against protesting students.
Scores of pupils protested on CPUT campuses for about two weeks last month, hurling stones at security guards and preventing students from registering.
This led to university management interdicting at least 16 students. These were not enforced, but were not cancelled.
The SA Students’ Congress (Sasco), leading the demonstrations with other student organisations, raised concerns, including:
* Class fees and residence fees set to increase by 11 percent this year.
* A registration fee of R5 000, up from R3 400 last year, for residence students.
* A registration fee of R3 500, up from R2 400 last year, for non-residence students.
Ishmael Malale, chairman of the committee, said: “Our committee maintains zero tolerance on financial exclusions.”
He said that it emerged during the meeting that the university council took a decision on November 26 to increase tuition and residence fees despite the objection of student leadership.
Student leadership had argued that both tuition and residence fees should remain unchanged.
“The committee noted that, although there had been discussions on fee increment between the university management and student leadership, there had not been meaningful engagements between the stakeholders.”
“Please eliminate protests, engage each other meaningfully and call the Department of Higher Education and Training when there is deadlock; this university is a public institution,” Malale said.
He also appealed to management for the cancellation of court interdicts against students.
Deputy vice-chancellor Anthony Staak said the university also believed students should not be excluded based on finances.
“The portfolio committee reiterated its position that no student who performs well academically should be excluded for financial reasons. This is a position that CPUT has already adopted,” he told the Cape Times.
Staak said management had been able to report back to the committee on the registration process and the associated challenges.
“We were also able to report on the recent protests against the fee increments and we used the opportunity to put forward CPUT management’s position on the issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, about 60 students protested at the University of the Western Cape earlier this week. The students had marched through the campus on Tuesday to protest new residence fees, the university said in a statement. Annual fees at a new residence there are R30 000 a person for a single room and R27 000 each for a double room. The students also demanded that the rental period of the residence be reduced to 10 months from 12. - Cape Times