*Young Communist League of South Africa Gauteng Province* *Statement of applications crisis facing students in universities*
* * * * *Tuesday, 10 January 2012* * * * * *University of Johannesburg:* The Young Communist League of South Africa in the province of Gauteng is deeply saddened by the death of a parent at the University of Johannesburg, this morning. The parent had accompanied her son to the university to register in order to gain access to the ‘*doors of learning and culture*’ in line with the *Freedom Charter*. We send our heartfelt condolences to the entire family for the loss, which is also a loss to us, of a parent who played an activist role dedicated at ensuring access to higher education. We appreciate the University of Johannesburg’s efforts to expand access through the leniency of allowing late applications. Indeed this, if managed properly, can be to the benefit of students from historically disadvantaged background in particular and students in general. However, we are quite concerned about the manner in which the University of Johannesburg is handling the late applications process. In particular, we believe the university should have learned from the long queues that it experienced last year, 2011 and put in place proper administrative, management and resources to handle the occurrence of a similar phenomenon. We deeply regret that putting in place such measures would now be subjected to the loss of human life as the reference point. In our view, it represents a logistical disorganisation to place all students, namely, first time applicants (late applicants), conditionally approved applicants, and applicants who want to verify acceptance to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), in one queue. Moreover, students who were scheduled to write their final special examinations at the university, of which determine their graduation status, have been prevented entry as a result of the logistical disorganisation that caused a stampede leading to the loss of human life. *Tshwane and Vaal universities of technology:* At Tshwane and Vaal universities of technology the situations in terms of late application and lack of proper preparations are more or less similar to those of the University of Johannesburg, with the main difference being there has been no loss of human life. *University of the Witwatersrand (Wits):* As the Young Communist League of South Africa we are concerned that Wits appears not to be accommodative in these circumstances. *Way forward:* We are appealing to our government to investigate the impact of the new timing for the release of matric results, which is the same month as the registrations. We call on all universities in the province to review their applications processes in order avoid and deal with all the problems facing the prospective students. This would require achieving effectiveness and efficiency, completely eradicating exclusion and removing the barriers facing students from the historically disadvantaged background, in particular from the working class and poor households, township and rural areas. As the YCLSA we are on the ground in all the universities in the province through our Rapid Response Teams. On Friday, 13 January 2012 we shall have an official delegation to the University of Johannesburg with the rest to be visited the following week. We note a tendency by some who have become a *blaming club* of our government in general and the Department of Higher Education and Training in particular with demagogic and factional focus of attacks and aspersions on the department’s Minister. This infantile disorder smells of linkages and pipelines to the New Tendency. We shall not leave it unexposed and unscathed in all sites of struggle. Until their demise we shall launch and intensify ideological and political onslaughts against such populist tendencies. *Released on behalf of the YCLSA Gauteng by the Provincial Secretary:* Alex Mashilo – 082 9200308 *Also for further information contact: * * * *Matankana Mothapo –Spokesperson* *082 759 0900* * * *Musa Mthembu – Head of Higher Education and Training* *073 152 1319* * * -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
