Cdes With respect to the University of Mpumalanga, is the 140 number in SASCO's statement an addition to current student headcount and the anticipated enrollments for 2014 academic year of the Mpumalanga Colllege of Education currently under the wing of University of Johannesburg located in Siyabuswa. This I ask because I know that UJ has undertaken to takeover the administration of Mpumalanga College of Education in the interim until the establishment of the University of Mpumalanga at which stage UJ shall handover the Mpumalanga College of Education to become education campus of the New University of Mpumalanaga.
One other thing that seems to be uncertain in SASCO's statement is whether this gallant student movement is departing from its principled call for quality education. In its statement the organisation seems to be worried about quantity which is actually a digression from the war this gallant movement has over time and continues to wage for the transformation in higher education. It is a known truth that on one hand; the former white institutions were preserved for the elite and predominately the white minority which was maintained through a tight managed access plan by application of dogmatic admission policies such as points system . The aforesaid was manifested through a combination of evils, that is, academic and financial exclusion practices which thus enabled the formerly white institutions to have low student headcount, yet remain afloat due to exorbitant study fees they charged and solid reserves due to partnerships with business and some international foundations and clubs. I am not oblivious to the fact that even though some change had taken place, the transformation agenda is still not yet completed, hence there are some pockets of resistance amongst this affluent Universities. On the other hand; the previously disadvantaged and generally former black institutions were and I argue still are riddled by large students headcounts. Ironically there is still little funding allocation toward this institutions from NSFAS, which leaves the institutions having to explore various mechanisms to distribute limited funds amongst a fairly large student populations. The concept of 'top-slicing' came in, which is when students are either dictated to by financial aid offices in this institutions enroll for a particular number of subjects in order to qualify for funding or a funded for tuition costs at the initial phase and depending on the availability of funds are subsequently allocated funds for prescribed boos, assistive devices, meals and accommodation costs. This is top slicing! The aforesaid is a corner cutting mechanisms that this poor institution endure year in an year out. A cake of a particular size will remain of that size no matter how many picies can one cut it into! This funding mechanisms are not sustainable and have been condemned in the report of the Ministerial Task Team into NSFAS headed by Prof Baluntulo. This problems compounded by infrastructure crisis in this institutions impacts on their research output and graduate throughput. It should also be noted that the state funding for infrastructure development to higher education institution (HEI) in general has dwindled over time and the little that has comes is been looted by a tendeprenuering detachment assembled as corrupt councils and management regimes in this institutions. SRC's have over time lost sight and are actually absorbed in the mainstream of corrupt activities in the institutions, our SRC Cde's are elbowing each other in contest for a seat in tender committees. Whilst not in an attempt to undermine the concern raised by SASCO nor suggesting in anyway that its concern is disingenuous, I think SASCO must be more concerned about the quality of education and student support services that those very 290 lucky first official students of the two respective Universities will receive in 2014. SASCO must be careful not depart from its genuine call for free and quality education to free and quantity education. Deepening democracy in education! Cde George Mogaladi On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 11:22 AM, Themba Masondo <[email protected]>wrote: > *SASCO welcomes with discontent the announcement on the University of > Mpumalanga and Sol Plaatjie University* > > *31 July 2013* > > The South African Students Congress (SASCO) notes the announcement of the > beginning of the process to develop universities in the Mpumalanga and > Northern Cape provinces. Whilst we understand this should have been a key > intervention in increasing access to higher education, we view the proposed > student intake for the next academic year as not only ridiculous but also > an attempt to undermine the call we have always made. > > > > The proposed 150 and 140 intakes for the next academic year in both the > Sol Plaatjie University and the University of Mpumalanga respectively is > the most ridiculous announcement to ever reach our ears in the recent past. > The proposed intake is not even bigger than the totality of learners > registered for matric in some of our high schools. We are seriously > concerned that the business community is only having its eyes fixed on > contracts to be provided without investing anything in the development of > the universities themselves. > > We are disappointed because instead of receiving our Free Education > memorandum and addressing students on 25 July, the Minister of Higher > Education and Training, Dr. Bonginkosi Nzimade, decided to call the media > briefing together with President Jacob Zuma to announce that only 290 new > spaces will be created in the 2014 academic year. Much more puzzling is > the failure to even open a faculty related to mining business despite the > rich mineral wealth in those provinces. > > SASCO will lobby the Department of Higher Education and Training to > increase the student intake for the 2014 academic year for the two > universities. We also call upon our people to reserve some energy so that > if the boardroom engagements fail, the decision can be met with mass power > from below. > > *For more information contact: * > > Ngoako Selamolela, SASCO President, 076 333 9127 > > Themba Masondo, SASCO Secretary General, 079 199 3421 > > -- > -- > You are subscribed to the "Communist University" e-mail forum. > The group site is at > http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Communist-University > The Communist University blog at http://domza.blogspot.com/ and our > wikispace web site is at http://amadlandawonye.wikispaces.com/ > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]; or e-mail > [email protected] > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Communist University" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- -- You are subscribed. 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