Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister Blade Nzimande has called on students to fully cooperate and allow the registration and orientation processes to continue peacefully so that the 2020 academic year can start without any further delays. Nzimande appreciated the fact that the majority of institutions had already begun teaching and learning, his office said in a statement on Sunday.
This follows further recent protest action at some universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, despite the South African Union of Students (SAUS), which represents all SRC of Universities, having agreed to call off the national shutdown in the wake of the common understanding and agreements reached in a meeting on January 31.
“While there is recommitment to further negotiations at all our PSET [post school education and training] institutions, minister Nzimande calls upon students to fully cooperate and allow the registration and orientation processes to continue peacefully so that the 2020 academic year can start without any further delays.
He also called on Universities South Africa (USAf) and the South African College Principals’ Organisation (SACPO) to ensure all institutions urgently implement mechanisms agreed between the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and institutions to assess financial eligibility of students and also to develop mechanisms to category all students who owed the institutions.
Nzimande was grateful to all the stakeholders in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape provincial governments for the assistance that they provided to bring stability in the affected institutions. “Minister Nzimande calls upon political formations to refrain from turning students concerns into political opportunism and maneuvering,” the statement said.
In other news – SA’s first Covid-19 patient ready to go home – Minister Mkhize
Mkhize said there were now more new cases outside China because it had reduced the spread. South Africa’s first Covid-19 patient is well enough to go home but needs the official all-clear, said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize at a meeting to assuage residents in KwaZulu-Natal where the virus was first detected.
Mkhize said he spoke to the man on Sunday, adding that the nurse treating him said he had recovered and was only waiting for the official all-clear to go home. Read more
Source: IOL
