The Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand‚ Professor Adam Habib‚ has expressed his disappointment at the decision by students to continue with their protest‚ saying it will put in jeopardy the academic futures of many students who will not be able to pass or graduate.
Habib said that after concluding a mass meeting on Saturday‚ the students had informed the university that they had decided to continue with their protest.
This was despite the decision taken at the historic meeting between government‚ students and university leaders at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Friday to agree to a zero% increase for 2016‚ and to reorganise the academic and examination programme‚ he said.
“We are disappointed at their decision‚ as we feel that it will put in jeopardy the academic futures of many students who will not be able to pass or graduate. This will only further entrench and deepen the inequalities in our society.
“We strongly encourage all protesting students to participate in a parallel negotiation process that covers all outstanding issues and to allow the academic programme and examinations to proceed unhampered‚” Habib said.
He said Wits would remain closed on Monday. However‚ a special meeting of Senate‚ the highest academic decision-making body of the university‚ would be convened on Monday to deliberate on the protest and to decide on the resumption of the academic programme. The outcome would be communicated to all students and staff thereafter.
Meanwhile‚ Wits University spokesperson Shirona Patel has confirmed that students meeting on the campus on Sunday morning to strategise on a way forward had to be evacuated from Senate House after a bomb scare.
She said security guards had spotted a canister in the basement which they thought might be a bomb. The police and bomb squad were called in. but the device turned out to be harmless and the students were allowed back into building.
Habib said that one of the key issues that the protesting students had put on the table was that of the insourcing of all workers.
“This is a matter that the University is investigating and which it will deliberate upon at Council. Government also agreed at Friday’s meeting to establish a task team to explore how the state could assist universities to address this challenge‚” he added.
Habib disappointed students to continue with protest
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand‚ Professor Adam Habib‚ has expressed his disappointment at the decision by students to continue with their protest‚ saying it will put in jeopardy the academic futures of many students who will not be able to pass or graduate.
Habib said that after concluding a mass meeting on Saturday‚ the students had informed the university that they had decided to continue with their protest.
This was despite the decision taken at the historic meeting between government‚ students and university leaders at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Friday to agree to a zero% increase for 2016‚ and to reorganise the academic and examination programme‚ he said.
“We are disappointed at their decision‚ as we feel that it will put in jeopardy the academic futures of many students who will not be able to pass or graduate. This will only further entrench and deepen the inequalities in our society.
“We strongly encourage all protesting students to participate in a parallel negotiation process that covers all outstanding issues and to allow the academic programme and examinations to proceed unhampered‚” Habib said.
He said Wits would remain closed on Monday. However‚ a special meeting of Senate‚ the highest academic decision-making body of the university‚ would be convened on Monday to deliberate on the protest and to decide on the resumption of the academic programme. The outcome would be communicated to all students and staff thereafter.
Meanwhile‚ Wits University spokesperson Shirona Patel has confirmed that students meeting on the campus on Sunday morning to strategise on a way forward had to be evacuated from Senate House after a bomb scare.
She said security guards had spotted a canister in the basement which they thought might be a bomb. The police and bomb squad were called in. but the device turned out to be harmless and the students were allowed back into building.
Habib said that one of the key issues that the protesting students had put on the table was that of the insourcing of all workers.
“This is a matter that the University is investigating and which it will deliberate upon at Council. Government also agreed at Friday’s meeting to establish a task team to explore how the state could assist universities to address this challenge‚” he added.
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