Entire year could be lost

If students protests don't cease by the end of next week the entire academic year could be lost, resulting in dire consequences for students and the country.

This warning came from University of Cape Town vice-chancellor Max Price, who said students who would have graduated this year would have to do so next year.

"What happens for the country if we do that? Well, for example, there would be about 2400 health science graduates in the country - about 400 would come from UCT - who are all due to start their internship or community service on January 1.

"The health service is absolutely dependent on those junior doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists and the people who are currently interns would have left - gone into other jobs, gone into senior positions or out of the sector. There would be a serious risk for public health sector collapse," he said.

Management at Wits University, which has had ongoing protests for two weeks, has previously said it was looking at ways to ensure the academic year would not be lost.

"We cannot afford to compromise the education of 35000 students, their futures, their families and those graduates who may enter the workplace next year."

Today Wits will conduct a poll among staff and students in an attempt to determine support for re-opening the university.

Between October last year and May this year damage to university property had cost nearly R500-million.

This week Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said the cost of damage had reached R600-million as a result of the more recent protests. The University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Johannesburg, North West University, Tshwane University of Technology and the University of the Western Cape have been hardest hit.