Lectures suspended following protests at DUT

ALL academic programmes have been suspended at the Durban University of Technology following violent protests which broke out at the Steve Biko Campus on Monday.

Vice-chancellor, Prof Ahmed Bawa, said the registration process would continue and urged all remaining students to complete their registration for 2014.

He said there would be an increased security presence at the Durban and Pietermaritzburg registration venues.

“If any further protests take place, we will shut down the university, which includes the closure of all residences. We cannot allow the safety of our students and staff to be further compromised by the student protestors,” said Prof Bawa.

Police were on scene on Monday but did not enter the campus grounds. Students were reportedly burning garbage bags found on the streets outside the campus and emptying the contents on the campus grounds. No damage to campus buildings had been reported.

It is alleged that protess broke out following a memorandum which was handed to the university last week demanding that those students who were not yet registered be given time to register. Some students are unable to register until they receive approval of funding with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

According to Alan Khan, senior director of corporate affairs at DUT, the university had engaged with the SRC. On Friday, the vice-chancellor, Prof Ahmed Bawa updated the student leaders on developments following their memorandum of demands. The uiversity also issued a formal written response to the SRC advising them of the NSFAS situation at DUT and Prof Bawa responded to their other demands.

“Currently, we are expecting further student protests and campus security is on alert. The South African Police Services are also on standby to assist. The High Court Order that protects all DUT campuses from violent protests is still in place and we remain hopeful that the SRC will guarantee the protests do not violate the court interdict. We urge the protestors to respect the rights of the majority who are non-protesting students. We ask the SRC to ensure there is no violence and intimidation on campus,” said Khan.

He said DUT was expecting the SRC to host a mass meeting on Monday.

“From all indications, we are being made aware of more student protests that will take place at several universities in South Africa this week. DUT has been in constant contact with NSFAS regarding concerns raised by the SRC. While the university understands that funds are limited, we are confident that all packages allocated to DUT will be distributed to students. Whilst NSFAS has allocated substantial funding to DUT, the requests for funds is far greater than the funding that is available,” said Khan.

He said the returning students who had applied for the first time for financial aid were being allocated funds for financial support. NSFAS received 647 applications from this category of students at DUT and 294 were given assistance. The other applicants were unsuccessful because they did not qualify for financial aid according to the NSFAS rules.

“Despite DUT’s plea for financial aid for BTech students, the Department of Higher Education and Training and NSFAS have made it clear that this group of students will not be funded. We have communicated this to the SRC and they are aware of the situation with NSFAS. Despite the fact that the DUT student debt was R155 million as at 23 January 2014, DUT has unblocked the 4600 returning students so that they can register and access financial aid if they qualify,” he said.

Khan said following discussions with NSFAS, DUT had been assured that there would be a 48-hour turn-around time in the appeals process for financial aid. The university has agreed to increase the book allowance from R1000 to R1500. DUT confirms that all students who receive NSFAS funding for accommodation will be placed in a residence. Regarding the demands for tablet computers, Khan said DUT accepted the need to ensure the students had access to technology and DUT was waiting for a directive from NSFAS for students to have the right to decide whether they could use their book allowance for the purchase of tablet-like devices.

DUT also confirmed that refunds were given to all students who applied, paid deposits and then were not accepted for admission this year.

“We consult with the SRC when it comes to fee increments. The university works very hard to minimise the financial impact on our students and their families. When it comes to the cost of student fees, DUT is a very reasonable university,” said Khan.