MEMORANDUM OF DEMANDS
Today,
22 September 2017, SASCO embarked on a peaceful march as a way of audibly
stating our frustration in the current unfolding’s in the institution and
handing this memorandum over to you. We will also be having a human chain stand
up and protect our campus march on 26 September 2017.
On Campus
Shutdown
Over
the past couple of weeks, we have witnessed our campus come to a standstill due
to an unlawful protest that took place post the news that the VC had suspended
4 students for the disruption of a council meeting. This unlawful protest even
went further by being joined by staff members (gardeners, securities and
cleaners) who were protesting for an income dispute. This protest left our residences
open to all sorts of dangerous elements which has left students vulnerable and
unsafe in a place that’s meant to be their safe zone. A home away from home.
During
this period, we witnessed classes coming to a standstill because of a group of
students who used fire extinguishers to remove other students from exam venues
and classes; we witnessed students being forced to be part and parcel of the
protest by being woken up with fire extinguishers and water cannons by the
protesting students. We witnessed various buildings within three CPUT campuses
being set alight. All of this happened under the supervision of private
securities, residence parents and the management, which warrants a questioning
the purpose of hiring private securities on campus when such destructions can
still take place under their supervision on campus.
This
led to SASCO starting a #SaveOurInstitution campaign. In as much as we don’t
endorse students’ victimisation by the management, neither do we endorse the
barbaric and hooliganism acts that has been portrayed by these few protesting
students. This campaign is about getting the institution to conclude its 2017
academic year in 2017. It is calling for peace and stability on campus. It is with this campaign whereby we call upon
the management to demilitarise our campuses. It is with this campaign that we
call on the management to ensure that all students are safe and sound in their
respective residences. As SASCO, we are yet to see a more tangible solution
being taken by the management to ease the current situation on our campus.
On Workers
Struggles
We
fully support workers in their struggles and this has been proven by our
consecutive support in all important decision-making committees. In as much as SASCO
supports workers in their struggles, we cannot lead workers struggles. Workers
need to advance their struggle with their unions and carry on with their wage
struggle further and not student political structures. Unions need to lead this
struggle and negotiate for a better decent wage for all their members in all
the relevant decision-making meetings.
It’s about time that the
management withdraws from its tendency of allowing students to lead workers
issues yet workers have unions that they are subscribed to. Workers know the
correct channels to follow when facing such tribulations and they should follow
it. Had the correct channels been followed from the onset, we would not be
where we are today.
The institution has unions
registered within it and its their duty to sit down with the workers and all
relevant departments to resolve this issue that workers are facing. It is these
unions that are more equipped to be negotiating for wage increase and any
worker related issue.
On Residences
The institution needs to
ensure that all residence parents do their job effectively. They need to take
charge of the situation and account to all things that are reported to them in
their capacity as residence parents.
As
SASCO, we call upon the management to save this academic year by ensuring that
there is peace and stability on campus, re open all study facilities from
faculty buildings, libraries to IT centres.
On gender
struggles
We
furthermore call upon the management to ensure that serious actions must be taken
against all women abusers on campus. This call comes after the month of August
whereby there was a national call to put an end to all gender based violence
cases in the country and we would like to echo that call to the CPUT
management. A larger number of female students are assaulted by male students
on a weekly basis and these female students have lost faith in the judiciary
office and run to our offices for assistance as the only thing the judicial
office will try to instil is peace and not push for an end to gender based
violence. CPUT is one of the only University with no rape stats and this needs
to come to an end and the university must stop hiding the truth.
On Finances
As
SASCO we say NO FINANCIAL EXCLUSIONS.
Students are not paying their fees because they want to or would like to see a
reload of Fees Must Fall, instead students don’t pay their fees because they
cannot afford to do so. The management needs to stop operating the institution
with a primary objective of getting funding into the institution like its some
business. This is an academic institution and the management should be
operating it as such.
Nothing
is more heart aching than seeing a student being deprived from a basic human
right which is education because of their financial status. Already Fees Must
Fall is looming on the ground and the constant emails we have been receiving
ensuring us that if our fees are not paid up we will be blocked upon
registration in the 2018 academic year, is not assisting this current situation
at all, instead it is like paraffin that is poured onto a fire.
The
institution needs to find a better channel of ensuring fees are paid without
excluding students. The institution needs to do away with the financial
exclusion policy. It has become a norm and tradition at CPUT that constantly
every second semester there needs to be a protest of some sort that seeks to
voice out student’s frustrations with regards to financial exclusions. The
management is not there when students are crying tears during the registration
because of being financially excluded. The management is not there when
students resort to jobs such as Call Centre Associates and Prostitution because
students are trying to make quick cash to repay their fees so they can conclude
their respective qualifications.
The
institutions policy of handing students over to debt collectors is neither an
option as this deprives many people the right to education more especially the
black child. Your policies state that if someone is handed over to debt
collectors they need to repay their debt in full before coming back into the
institution. Of course, the fees increase for those handed over as it now
includes the interest of the debt collector of which this makes the burden even
harder for the poor.
We
also strongly feel that the Financial Aid office needs to have a better
communication strategy in place to communicate with the general student of
CPUT. This is said because it is evident that their current communication
medium is failing. SASCO proposes that every second month, there should be a
meeting between two reps from each structure and the Financial Aid office to
update students on new developments within the office and new opportunities for
students such as bursaries and scholarships. With this in place, more students
will be reached in record time.
SASCO
advocates for academic excellence and there is no way students can be able to
excel academically when the institution is on constant shutdown mode.
We
don’t want a delay in our academic year. We don’t want further destructions of
property. We don’t want further cases of assault and threats. We don’t want a
further compromise of student’s safety. We call upon the management to act now
before this matter escalates even further and results in the death of a student
or staff member due to all this unrest happening. It’s time the management pays
attention to the cry of the majority.
With the aforementioned we therefore Demand the
following;
1.
No to Financial exclusion as per the standing Council
Resolutions.
2.
Building of New Residences to meet the needs shortages
of all deserving students.
3.
Extension of Library and Shuttle Hours to meet
students’ academic needs.
4.
Conducive studying and Sporting facilities.
5.
Sensitivity and extension of assessment dates and
submissions.
6.
Extension of
Academic Applications from 30 September to 30 October.
7.
Extension of NSFAS applications to 30 October.
8.
Students and Worker safety commitment.
9.
Safe and Healthy studying environment in our
residences.
Given commitment to these
demands, we guarantee safe and stable learning and teaching environment with
new culture of engagement in resolving all necessary disputes. We give 78hours
for implementer response.
Yours in Education
SASCO CAPE TOWN BRANCH
No comments:
Post a Comment