Here is a quick note to tell you what has been going on recently at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and in South Africa. All academic activities have been suspended at UCT for the last week as a result of student protests on campus. There have also been similar protests at several other universities in South Africa. Unfortunately, there have been cases of intimidation and violence associated with protests which prompted suspension of university activities.
The primary issue leading to the protests is the call for free university education. There was a similar set of nation-wide protests last year (#FeesMustFall) that was prompted by unusually high increases (10-12%) in the university tuition for the 2016 academic year. As a result, the South African president (Jacob Zuma) announced a nation-wide 0% tuition increase for 2016. So, this year, students have mobilized again (after the Education Minister announced an 8% increase in 2017 tuition) pushing again for free university education (#Fees2017).
The next 7-10 days at UCT will be an important time for the university and the nation. The university is planning to engage with students and staff this next week to try to reach a resolution and resume lectures as soon as possible. Further delays will put the completion of the academic calendar in jeopardy.
Steve was not teaching when protests disrupted lectures last week, but did have an uncomfortable exchange with protesting students. The main portion of campus has been largely quiet since Tuesday with protests occurring in other areas of campus. Steve is scheduled to lecture next week (when and if they resume) and disruptions are a real possibility.
It has been a stressful time for everyone and evokes deep-seated emotions on both sides. The vast inequalities in South Africa have contributed to these emotions and make negotiations complicated. The universities will have to make some tough decisions. Please join us in praying for peaceful engagements and a mutually-agreed resolution to these protests. Please also pray for Steve as he engages with students and deals with any possible disruptions. We will keep you updated over the next few weeks. Thank you for your prayers, Steve, Diana, Aaron and Seth
Here are few links if you are interested in more information
UCT Campus Updates
New York Times Article - FeesMustFall
Article - Future of SA Universities
No comments:
Post a Comment