Wits calls for restraint ahead of ‘total shutdown’ by students
Wits has pleaded with students and the student representative council (SRC) to resolve their complaints through dialogue and engagement.
The SRC is expected to join a total shutdown of tertiary institutions by students around the county on Monday.
The shutdown is part of the ongoing protests over the financial exclusion of indebted students.
Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel says the representatives from the university’s senior executive team met with a delegation from the SRC on Friday evening.
She says the institution is working around the clock to assist students who need financial aid.
“The senior executive team remains committed to assisting academically-qualifying students who have applied for the 2021 academic year to register, whilst remaining financially sustainable. Of the 1 200 applications for assistance from the Wits Hardship Fund, about 700 have already been assisted.
“We are working through the applications on a case by case basis and commit to responding to the remaining 500 applications before Friday, 19 March.”
Patel says a Universities South African meeting will be held with the 26 vice-chancellors of public universities on Monday morning.
“The academic programme will continue online tomorrow, as determined by faculties, and Wits remains fully operational. Senior executive members, in consultation with managers, will determine the on-campus staffing requirements in order to ensure the continuity of university activities.
“We encourage all parties to remain calm, to exercise maximum restraint, and to attempt to resolve issues through dialogue and engagement. We remain committed to engaging with student leaders to try to resolve these matters at the institutional, sectoral and national levels.”
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