Update
GEORGE NEWS - Nelson Mandela University George Campus is open and lectures started on Monday 27 February after student protests prevented staff and off-campus students from entering the university premises last week.
The new academic year was supposed to start on 20 February.
The protest revolved around fees, bursaries, accommodation and admissions to certain courses. A series of management meetings, including a meeting with the George student representative council, took place at the start of the protest action and continued throughout the week.
Staff were back on campus from late on Wednesday afternoon, but on Friday morning, a group of students again blocked entry.
One of the issues that led to the protest was a shortage of accommodation, mostly for first-year students, and some students not being able to register because their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) bursaries had not yet paid out.
Students who are not registered, are unable to access on- or off-campus accommodation in George, and some were "squatting" in other students' rooms.
Students demanded that all outstanding amounts owed to landlords to be paid. On Friday 24 February, the university announced in a statement that the student housing department had reached an agreement with the affected landlords. "At present, students are being accepted by these off-campus establishments, further to the engagement and agreements reached at a meeting with the landlords."
In the meantime, extra houses/beds have been sourced, including 60 beds at a hotel in Oudtshoorn, 27 at a hotel in Mossel Bay and 11 in Palgrave Street.
'Sleeping outside'
On Tuesday 28 February, a few students contacted the newspaper, complaining that their situation has not improved. Some are sleeping outside while others are sleeping up to 10 in one room. A video was also sent of a residence on campus where there was no water.
Responding to concerns about quality and safety at off-campus residences, the university said the service providers go through vigorous technical inspections and have to meet certain set criteria. In total, about 664 beds are available through off-campus accommodation.
'Policy gaps in financial aid system'
The university said it has dealt with most of the students' concerns, but that some are beyond its immediate control. These include "apparent policy gaps" in the financial aid system and the common issues of underfunding that students continue to face.
The university said in such instances, it is committed to working with student leadership and the relevant stakeholders on the outstanding matters.
It is furthermore accommodating students with an initiative through which devices are distributed to students who have opted in. Subsequent training sessions will also be held for students on how to utilise online platforms. The demand for allocation of data to students who are yet to finalise their registration, is an issue that is still under discussion, said the university.
In response to students' demand for a faster application process for exemption from down-payments for fees, the university management had wavered the registration fee until Sunday 26 February.
R18-b per year spent on accommodation
NSFAS did not respond to queries from the newspaper. In a 23 February media statement on its web site it said it spends R18 billion on student accommodation each year. New accommodation is currently being built which should ultimately be owned by universities and TVET colleges.
As of last year, accommodation at university residences ranged from R28 000 to R90 000 a year. It has introduced a R45 000 cap to manage the increasing costs for student accommodation and is "mulling over" reporting student accommodation providers to the Competition Commission for possible collusion and price gouging.
"Currently there is a challenge of private and institution accommodation above the cap of R45 000. NSFAS is working with the affected institutions and is fast-tracking the accreditation in the affected areas."
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