Socialist Youth Movement article [Perspectivising the militancy and vandalism of students at TUT and other previously black institutions] This extremely short analysis seeks to exhume and lay bare, in passing, the predicaments, and all contributing factors to vandalism in student protests, in particular at TUT. It comes as a piece to clarify misanalysis and simplistic arguments that seek to render student protests and their vandalising character as unruly, and participants (students) as hooligans. [On domestic level- Institution] In light of the historical developments in Institutions of Higher Learning, one has to look at the Institutions that have been embroiled in this chaos and contrast such with the Institutions that have not been suffering from such violence. Students, like any other human being, are shaped by the conditions and experiences they find themselves in or have been through, it is from this point that one has to accept that TUT as a composition of historically black Technikons and one white Technikon will have limited resources and facilities to address a number of students challenges. This is the same story with WSU, DUT, VUT, UL and Mangosuthu but a different one when it comes to Stellenbosch, UFS, TUKKIES, UCT and other historically white institutions that have always received enough funding and have structures to respond to students challenges. This predicament, faced by historically black institutions, cannot be resolved through wishful thinking but a commitment from the government and honest engagement between students and university managements. On whether student structures play any role in this culture of militancy and vandalism, we see it imperative to tie the question to the broader community and look into the constitutional obligations all institutions are subjected: A right to strike. This constitutional right is only made possible through collectivism or a grouping as any application to strike questions one’s capacity and simultaneously triggers the affiliation to a particular organization or spontaneous movement. But to draw a line and show that organizations are also subject to conditions and circumstances we just have to look at UFS where SASCO and PASMA have been there for a very long time yet we dont hear reports of strikes and the same thing goes to TUKKIES. This is an indication that circumstances and conditions shape the thinking and actions of people. The role of student life and governance is to introduce and lay a foundation of leadership within the parameters of the University. A culture of debates and robust engagements can only come about if the university can create a platform for that. In Wits it is compulsory for the student body to participate in public debates on students challenges and this helps break the concealed anger that students have, not only does it help students but it affords management an opportunity to pick up issues before they reach a boiling point. The culture of Intellectual engagements has to be learned from Intellectuals. Prof Adam Habib, Wits VC and Principal, consistently have public dialogues with students. This is not a scenario that can immediately resolve the problems but it allows students to view challenges from a different point where they see themselves as those responsible for the solution. Prof Jonathan Jansen, UFS VC and Rector, is popularly known for his interaction with students in cafeterias and residences where hes always visiting without prior notice or announcement. Why not TUT? Is it because one fears robust engagements with students? Still, one does not commend the situation at UFS, UP and others, for students at UFS may hold a view that there is lull with regard to strikes because movements, spontaneous and concrete, that can play that role are suppressed. Afterall, students who go to these universities (UP, UFS, etc) are not in majority coming from economically disadvantaged families. This is evidenced in the number of NSFAS applicants. For example, out of approximately 33 000 to 34 000 students who goes to UFS, only around 7 000 applies for NSFAS. This contributes to the calm character of the students at these universities, for the major trigger of conflict in the previously black universities is initiated by financial exclusions. However the bone of contention is: a child cant go to church and suggest that the congregation have a protest against the Pastor - the institution and environment doesn’t allow for such. Same thing can be done in University if we correct the culture that was long introduced. Remember that a first year (2014) is exposed to the kind of climate TUT is today and next year will want to lead a strike because it’s normal to do so in TUT. But if a first year finds TUT being a place where concerns are raised through public engagements and other means of dialogue-consensus nature in the institutional system such a student will definitely be influenced by the environment he/shes in. The best way to address issues such as campus policies on racism, student admission, etc. is for students to be allowed space to air their views but TUT is led by arrogant managers who have never even considered students to be valuable and integral part of the institution. The only way to change TUT and its former sister institutions will be by visionary leadership from the government and universities. Even such does not guarantee that the character and attitude of students will be transformed, for precise national reasons we outline below, including chiefly the national problem of higher education system which is economical in nature. The major key factor, not only, if we are to halve the vandalising nature of student protests is to make education free. [Tying the culture of militancy and vandalism to National crisis] The domestic environment is not a self-explanatory whole of the situations in the previously black institutions, which is where this militancy coupled with vandalism is very fashion-ate. The national conditions have a very considerable influence in the attitude of these students towards issues that confront them as a collective. This factor takes contemporary and historical nature. The historical nature of the broiling factor is that these institutions were points of student uprisings in apartheid years. Even when students inherited higher institutions post-apartheid, they inherited with them the vandalising culture that seems to be bound to strikes. It was passed from one generation to the other, uninterruptedly so. But the transfer of this historical tradition uninterruptedly was partly because nothing structurally changed in assisting the working class youth, predominantly blacks, to further their education on tertiary level. Except for TEFSA and eventually NSFAS, which are superficial measures for poor students since he/she will have to pay back. The contemporary factor is all around us. South Africa was labelled as the world capital of protests, which takes place in workplaces for higher wages and communities for service delivery. Although the major influencing action is the community upheavals which has become South Africa’s norm and takes, every time they occur, a violent form. Students, as youth of the community, participate in these protests and become assimilated with the culture. Although students do not necessarily participate in workers strikes, but sees on TV the violent nature which these strikes most of the time takes. In a nutshell, these situations indirectly and directly contribute to the culture of vandalism in voicing discontent of the betraying and disappointing higher education system. Vandalism seems to be a twin of strike in South Africa. Therefore it forms part of the national culture of the disadvantaged majority. There is a feeling that, peaceful upheavals do not reach the ears of the leaders as they usually do not, in practical sense, respond to the grievances and demands of the concerned group. As a result, this should not even surprise us when it happens at the universities because after all students are members of the community; they are children of the community before they are students. How naïve can we think this character can be alien to them! However, not as a substitute, dialogue can reduce unnecessary conflict that has led to student leaders being threatened with expulsions. In many case campus-based protests do not challenge the government as such but leads to violence which negatively paint students to be hooligans than people fighting for genuine issues (this can be noted from comments on the very picture that has gone viral on Facebook). This emanates partly from student leaders who distort the struggle and omit the national question of this crisis. Weve explained the nature of Higher Education in South Africa and proceed to argue for our battle to be directed at the Ministry itself; which will unite students across all points. Campus based demonstration have pushed the government to concede to increasing NSFAS funding therefore increasing the debt for students and this has been, for years, wrongly interpreted to be victory. Although this can be regarded as an immediate benefit, it is not a victory. We are now at a point where we should be calling for all protests to be directed to Schoeman Street to demand Free Education. In the final analysis, if communities receive service, and for those that receive them, receive proper ones, then the service delivery protests will diminish and thus no longer be examples to student strikes. If the government make education free, then student protests will be halved, and to a high degree few of those who may be occurring lose completely their vandalising character. Then intellectual platforms will be highly useful in laying a platform to address complex and sensitive issues such as Homophobia, racism, tribalism and the like.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 17:39:57 +0000
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