Rhodes claims to be in a ‘fragile financial state’ as fees talks continue

Rhodes University management says it supports student demands for free quality education for the poor but warned that government needed to come up with the money to clear historical debt.

Responding to a list of demands from University Currently Known As Rhodes (Uckar) fees protesters‚ management said in a statement read to more than 500 students on Monday that the institution was in “a fragile financial state” and had no money left to try to deal with the problem.

Management said the university was unable to clear outstanding fees of R147-million and historical debt of R226-million without government assistance.

The university remained closed on Monday after protesting students gave management until the afternoon to respond to their demands or face a prolonged shutdown.

Staff were ordered not to work by small groups of students who moved around campus.

Responding to demands‚ vice-chancellor Sizwe Mabizela strongly urged government to provide a platform of engagement for universities to try and resolve the crisis.

“Government must provide feasible solutions to meet the financial needs of universities and students from underprivileged circumstances.”

Mabizela added it was in no one’s interest to close the university.

“We commit ourselves to working with all sectors to ensure that no student’s academic year is lost‚ and no employee’s job and salary is lost.”

Mabizela had on Sunday warned the university could close and send its students home if ongoing fee protests hampered the resumption of normal activities this week.

Students‚ however‚ said they were prepared to shut down the university until the issue was properly resolved‚ even if it meant losing the academic year.

Rhodes said‚ in its response statement‚ that it was working with other universities to lobby government and the private sector to come up with resources to provide free‚ quality education for the poor.

Management‚ however‚ said it was unable to legally instruct senior staff to pay up to half their salaries to subsidise poor students‚ nor could it instruct staff who rented houses to students to hand over a percentage of profits either.

Management did agree to waive supplementary examination fees‚ but said withholding exam results was a mechanism to divide those who could pay from those who could not‚ and said it would engage with students over this on an individual basis.

Late on Monday‚ protest leaders and others were locked in talks over the issue.

University campuses across the country were last week brought to a standstill by fees protests.

The protests followed an announcement made by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande that if a student’s family income was R600,000 or less‚ they would have no fee increase in 2017 as the state would cover the increase.

Nzimande said the fee increases for everyone else would be capped at 8%. - TMG Digital/Daily Dispatch