LIVE: EFF student command briefs media on free education, university walk-ins
2018-01-04 14:07The Economic Freedom Fighters student command is briefing the media on higher education enrolment, following the party's student command's promise to assist students who defied university rules and conducted walk-ins to register for 2018.
MEDIA RELEASE FROM WITS UNIVERSITY:
WITS UNIVERSITY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING ANY FURTHER APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2018 ACADEMIC YEAR
Wits University has finalised its applications for the 2018 academic year, and will not be accepting any further applications for the first semester intake.
The closing date for undergraduate studies at the University was the 30 September 2017.
The University has received 56 901 applications for first year enrolments for the 2018 academic year and has place for 5 664 first year students.
The University is currently growing its post-graduate student numbers, as part of its 2022 strategy and has received 22 727 applications for post-graduate studies.
In total, the University has received 79 628 applications for the 2018 academic year.The University has the capacity to enrol a maximum of 36 400 full time students.
“Wits University has doubled its student numbers in the las two decades, and the University’s enrolment plan is approved by the Department of Higher Education and Training,” says Wits University Registrar Carol Crosley.
“Over enrolment has a significant impact on the academic integrity of the University’s academic programme.
It stretches the University’s human resources capacity (affecting work loads of lecturers, teaching and administrative staff); and impacts on infrastructure as the University only has a defined number of teaching venues.”
We will guide all university walk-ins - EFF student command
The EFF’s student command on Wednesday promised that it would assist students who defied university rules and conducted walk-ins to register for 2018.
"Fighters will marshal students to different registration centres to avoid stampedes and long queues," said spokesperson Magaliso Sambo in a Facebook post.
"Fighters must also assist walk-ins with food, sanitary towels and ensure safety and security for every student in and around campus."
Sambo said a 'Sizofundangenkani Campaign', which would encourage walk-ins, was being launched "as a means of bridging the gap between those who have access to online and those who do not".
University managers 'must not use bureaucratic rules to exclude students' - EFF
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have reiterated their call for financially needy, academically deserving students to report to colleges and universities during registration, saying that university managers should not use bureaucratic impediments as an excuse.
"The country must be firm with university managers, that they must not close the doors of learning now, using useless bureaucratic impediments when funding, which has been the greatest historic impediment, has been removed," read a statement.
A day before the ANC's elective conference in December last year, President Jacob Zuma announced that free education would be rolled out to 90% of poor students across South Africa, failing to elaborate on the specifics of the plan.
The announcement was also made when applications to all 26 universities across the country were closed.
ICYMI:
Malema calls on former matrics to report to academic institutions in 2018
Economic Freedom Fighters commander in chief, Julius Malema, has called on former matriculants who want to further their education to report to the academic institution of their choice in 2018.
"We must make sure that in 2018 all academically deserving students are admitted freely in SA universities and FET colleges," Malema said in his end of year message.
"We call upon all those who passed matric extremely well in the past and found themselves as petrol attendants, retail or security workers because they could not afford university fees, to report to the academic institution of their choice next year," he said.
"The EFF will be at the gates of all learning institutions to ensure that priority is not only given to those who can afford to pay."
