Wits has made available R20m for needy students: vice-chancellor

Wits University has assisted 750 of the 1,200 students who requested financial assistance from the Wits Hardship Fund in 2021.

Vice-chancellor and principal Prof Zeblon Vilakazi said on Monday that 95% of the 2021 student cohort — 35,841 out of about 37,500 students in total — had registered, including most first-year students.

“Wits has extended registration to March 19 for undergraduate students and to March 12 for postgraduate students, to provide students with more time to register, and to fully benefit from the academic programme,” said Vilakazi.

To help students facing hardship to register, Vilakazi said the university had established a Wits Hardship Fund worth R10m to assist those experiencing financial hardship or with historical debt (up to R120,000) to register and secure accommodation, provided they meet the criteria.

He said the university had also established a further one-off R10m vice-chancellor’s Covid-19 student relief fund to assist those adversely affected by the pandemic.

He said the university also allowed students who owed less than R10,000 from the previous year to register. In addition, it:

• allowed students to pay 50% of the debt (if above R10,000) to register;

• charged no interest on fees accrued in the 2020 academic year;

• provided significant rebates to students for the 2020 academic year; and

• allowed students who were unable to pay the full amount owing to enter into a payment plan by signing an acknowledgment of debt agreement with the fees office, which enables them to pay off their fees over the remainder of the year.

“Wits remains committed to enabling access and to assisting students as far as possible within the resources that are available. We must keep the doors of learning open and remain financially sustainable,” Vilakazi said.

He said his management would continue to engage student leadership in an effort to find solutions to the problem.

He said online learning had commenced and would continue while a solution for fees was being addressed.

He also called on higher education minister Blade Nzimande to give universities guidelines on how to manage tuition fee increases.

The cabinet announced on Thursday that it had approved additional funding for NSFAS.

Universities SA CEO Prof Ahmed Bawa this week urged the government to find a way to deal with the needs of financially stricken students.

Students took to the streets under the banner #asinamali in Johannesburg on Wednesday, protesting against the financial exclusion of those with historical debt, and fighting for first-year students who do not know how their tuition will be financed.

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