Gauteng students protest over lack of funding
Students at the Ekurhuleni West College’s (EWC) Kempton Park campus, on the East Rand, took to the streets after receiving letters from the college saying their financial aid funds had depleted.
“Dear student, we regret to inform you that your application for the DHET FET College Bursary Scheme was unsuccessful. Your application was declined due to the following reason: DHET Bursary Funding has been exhausted/depleted for 2015,” the letter read.
On Sunday afternoon, students received SMSs informing them the campus would be closed indefinitely, Kempton Express reported.
The SMS read: “Kempton campus will be closed on Monday 3 August 2015 indefinitely. Examinations continue. Protection will be given by college council and management.”
On Monday morning, the students chanted outside the school’s entrance saying: “No money, no school.” Streets were cordoned off by police as the student continued to protest.
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It is alleged police eventually fired rubber bullets and teargas at the students to disperse them. Kempton police spokesperson Captain Jethro Mtshali said six students were arrested and released on a warning for conducting an illegal gathering.
This was the second protest in two weeks. Students also blockaded the entrance on Thursday morning last week.
“We want the department of higher education and training (DHET) to come and speak to us and tell us how much they’ve given out for bursaries because we want transparency,” one of the student representatives, Nompumelelo Mkhize, 21, said.
Some students said they had never received transport money from their bursaries, and others claimed they were only getting a small portion of what they were supposed to be receiving.
Mkhize said they had contacted the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
“NSFAS told us they had administered funds to all colleges, including EWC, Now we want to know why our funds at our campus have been depleted. From where are we supposed to get money because some of us are in our final year?” she asked.
On Thursday last week the campus manager, Willington Mudau, held a meeting with the students, where a consensus was apparently not reached.
“Mudau wanted students to go back to class, there was no agreement reached. He said he would give us a solution on Monday but now we received SMSs yesterday saying the campus is closed,” said Mkhize.
Calls to DHET and to the principal of the EWC colleges, Hellen Ntlatleng, proved futile as Mudau told The Citizen he would not comment on the matter.
– Caxton News Service
Read original story on kemptonexpress.co.za
