Following the robust protests by students across the country during the campaign which has gained international support, I can on the one hand echo their chants while on the other hand try and find an alternative way to addressing this issue.
First of all, while their anger at university institutions may well be within their rights, it is time they looked at the root of the problem and address the government which in my view has failed to plan accordingly to ensure that more learners are able to afford tertiary education.
Taking into consideration the cost of universities, I feel government should have in the first place, subsidised these universities because the reality of providing quality education does not come cheap.
While the minister proposed a six percent cap on the increase, I feel that it is nowhere close to being the solution. For me and the students it is simple: the short term solution to the problem is not increasing the fees. While this may potentially affect the universities negatively, students should be the priority. In fact, students should always be the priority.
Looking at a longer term solution, government needs to realign its priorities in terms of where the money goes. I cannot understand why if all of us agree that education is the key to success, we are not prioritising on funding our youth to ensure that our future is in good hands.
Education should not only be reserved to the privileged few, it should be accessible to every young person.
While leadership needs to rise, it is time we acknowledge that the students themselves have a certain responsibility towards advancing their own lives. The majority of our success as people does not only lie on institutions, but on our determination to rise above every obstacle along our path.
A protest is only a short-term responsibility. Students should always remember that when the dust of a campaign settles, they are the ones who still need to advance in life – that is why I say, leadership must rise, not only in government, but also the youth themselves should rise.
Concerned youth
