Durban - Prospective students whose applications for tertiary study might still be stuck at the post office because of a protracted strike would be considered if they applied before the closing dates, the Department of Higher Education and Training said on Wednesday.
Spokesman Khaye Nkwanyana said the department had decided to approach universities directly after concerns were raised about the impact of the strike.
Postal workers have been on strike for almost four months after a dispute over salaries and other issues.
Nkwanyana said the department had noted that most universities had already closed applications.
“Students have tried to apply but their applications are stuck (at the post office). The minister has started to interact with universities for a proposed plan (to accommodate late applications),” he said. The issue is whether or not they would be accepted. Some of them (universities) have agreed.” Nkwanyana said the department would make an announcement on this when all universities have agreed and submitted their contingency plans for late applications.
“No university is saying they are not going to accept them (late applicants). Our plan is to have them being admitted in universities if they applied on time,” Nkwanyana said.
He said all applications that had been received by the post office would have a date stamp. This would assist universities to identify those who had applied before the closing dates.
“Therefore, they would accept their applications even if they are received in December.”
Nkwanyana said Unisa had been proactive.
“They have made arrangements and have their own vehicles to collect all their applications and letters from various post offices so they can process them. They are busy with administration already,” Nkwanyana said.
“We call for prospective students to co-operate with us at the moment. An announcement will be made and after that they should then approach the universities they applied for.”
University of Zululand spokeswoman, Normah Zondo said on Wednesday the department had sent a questionnaire asking how the management had planned ahead to avoid later issues of admission and registration because of the strike.
However, Zondo said Unizul was not aware of any impacts of the strike on applications.
“The university is not going to disqualify any prospective applicants.”
The University of KwaZulu-Natal had previously said that its student application process might have been impacted by the strike and were discussing ways to deal with this.
Meanwhile, the post office hopes for a government bailout to stay afloat in the midst of the protracted strike.
The postal service had been forced to close its doors in eight locations in the Western Cape because it could no longer afford the rent for its offices.
A spokeswoman for the parastatal, Martie Gilchrist, has warned this might only be the start, with more closures over the next few weeks possible.
“We are actually hoping for a government bailout,” Gilchrist told the Cape Argus, the Daily News’s sister paper.
Although other union workers were back at work, she said the Communications Workers Union was still negotiating for better salaries.
“It does look like we will reach an agreement soon.”
Daily News