Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande
Photo by: Duane Daws
As violent protests hit yet another university campus on Tuesday, Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande announced a summit that would look into transformation and other issues facing tertiary institutions would be held next month.
”The summit will provide the opportunity to review progress made regarding transformation imperatives identified at the previous summit, in the National Development Plan, and in the White Paper on Post-School Education and Training,” said Nzimande said at a media briefing in Pretoria.
”It will also create space and opportunities for a range of voices to be heard, and perspectives to be debated. It will move beyond a perspective of transformation that focuses largely on unequal demographic representation in the sector, important as this is, to a deeper interrogation of the range of issues that underlie inequality.”
Nzimande said he was extremely concerned by the spate of violent protest that have rocked university campuses around the the country.
”I am deeply concerned that this summit takes place against incidents of violence in some of our universities,” he said.
“We urge all stakeholders to openly engage with each other on all matters that require attention at institutional level, and for management to take a lead in this regard. But at the same time I strongly condemn acts of violence and vandalism that accompany some of the student protests.”
As Nzimande was speaking, police were deployed to the Tshwane University of Technology Pretoria West Campus as protesting students burnt tyres and destroyed some infrastructure belonging to the institution.
The students’ grievances included increasing crime on campus, stale food served at the canteen, and inadequate accommodation for students.
During violent protests last week, students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal torched buildings and other properties belonging to the institution.
The damage to university property would reportedly run into millions of rands.
The protests were in relation to the students’ concerns about the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), fee increases, and student accommodation.
It emerged on Tuesday that Durban would play host to the higher education summit between the 15 and 17 October.
The last summit was held five years ago.
Nzimande said corrective steps had been taken since the last summit.
”Some of the most important [steps] include major reviews and [an] increase of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), the provision and conditions of student accommodation and of university funding,” he said.
“These also include a draft policy framework for university differentiation that was released for public comment, and those comments are currently being analysed.”
The summit would look into issues such as transformation, research and innovation, staffing at universities, student funding, curriculum, and building a strong post school system.