A day in the life at the University of Pretoria: 21 January 2016

On 21 January 2016, during a "Day in the Life of the University of Pretoria," the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr. Blade Nzimande, held a meeting with the Vice-Chancellors of South Africa's 26 public universities to discuss preparations for the start of the new academic year. Senior representatives of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and the Council on Higher Education (CHE) also attended the meeting.

The Ministry expressed its appreciation for the efforts of the Vice-Chancellors in fostering stability at the universities. The Vice-Chancellors, in turn, acknowledged the government's support for the higher education sector and commended the capable and supportive leadership of the Minister. The meeting welcomed the additional R6.9 billion in funding that the government had committed to university education. It was confirmed that all qualifying students who had been admitted to a university and qualified for NSFAS funding could register without making an upfront payment. Substantial progress had also been made in improving the functionality of NSFAS.

Each institution had implemented payment plans for all categories of students. For the "missing middle" group of students, the meeting noted the processes that had been established, including a new funding model set to be piloted the following year as recommended in the Presidential Task Team report. Institutions committed to addressing applicants on an individual basis and providing payment plans where possible. At many institutions, registration had already begun, and the progress made was encouraging. The Ministry and Vice-Chancellors called on students to register and begin the 2016 academic year without disruptions and urged parents and the broader community to support universities in facilitating a smooth start to learning. They appealed to students, staff, and others with unmet demands or grievances to engage in legitimate and peaceful protest, avoiding the need for an undesirable security presence on campuses.

The Minister emphasized that violence, disruption of institutional operations, the violation of the right to learn and work, and damage to property that happened during 2015 were unacceptable. He stressed that the country could not afford further damage to institutional assets, noting that preliminary reports indicated an estimated R150 million in damage to public property during protests the previous year, which had primarily affected a few institutions. The high cost of security required to protect the functioning of the education system was described as exorbitant. The Minister appealed to protest groups to avoid making such expenditures necessary, allowing resources to be directed toward improving the education system.

The University of Pretoria Archives (UPA) continues to preserve the history of the University of Pretoria. The UPA collections include an extensive clipping collection, annual reports, photographs, and publications such as the one featured here. For access to this or similar articles, please contact [email protected]. The UPA also welcomes contributions of photographs, documents, or memorabilia related to UP’s past. To share your memories of Tukkies, please reach out to [email protected]