#NoStudentLeftBehind – AfriForum Youth wants answers about student safety at Kovsies and Maties
AfriForum Youth requests clarity on how Stellenbosch University (SU) and the University of the Free State (UFS) ensure students’ safety and the undisturbed continuation of academic proceedings during protests such as the #NoStudentLeftBehind protests that are currently raging at universities. The youth organisation, in letters to these universities also specifically asks how these protests are managed, especially if they are led by the respective student representative councils (SRC).
The #NoStudentLeftBehind protest that took place yesterday under the leadership of the SRC on the SU’s campus raised questions about students’ safety and instability on campus. While the protest was initially peaceful, it led to a disruption of academic activities and a demand for a campus shutdown from the SRC from 08:00 on 20 February as part of this protest. This protest was aimed at student debt, registration and accommodation.
The protest began yesterday at 12:00 on the Rooiplein and moved through various parts of the campus including the Neelsie, Victoria Street, the Faculty of Education and Administration Building B. The #NoStudentLeftBehind protests initially started at the UFS on 11 February this year and have already spread to other universities such as SU and the University of Cape Town. AfriForum Youth has expressed its concern about the instability that these type of protests causes.
According to Jolene le Roux, spokesperson for AfriForum Youth’s Maties branch, the SRC encouraged students to boycott academic activities. “This approach leads to an academic backlog and further challenges for students. AfriForum Youth’s security team is, however, monitoring the situation and ensuring students’ safety as much as possible.”
“We have also approached other universities that have not yet been affected by the #NoStudentLeftBehind protests to make them aware of the potential risks if they are not prepared for this. We also asked them how they ensure students’ safety amid these types of protests,” says Yvonne Gerber, youth development officer at AfriForum Youth.
Gerber emphasises that although the protest is currently quite peaceful, it only takes one troublemaker to change the nature of the protest. “Students must receive education in a safe and stable environment. No student may be deprived of this right.”
“SRC members who lead and encourage these protests must be held responsible for the disruption and panic they cause among students. Students are currently too afraid to go to class as they have been forced out of their classes during these types of protests in the past,” adds Gerber.
AfriForum Youth believes that protests such as the #FeesMustFall protests and now the #NoStudentLeftBehind protests, often create unrealistic expectations and do not offer real solutions. This leads to violence, academic disruption and further instability. Institutions such as Solidarity Helping Hand have already proven that community-driven funding models are a sustainable solution for students who need financial support.
AfriForum Youth appeals to the SRC and university management to find constructive solutions to this problem, which rears its head every year, rather than organising protests that have little to no long-term benefit for students. Sustainable solutions require cooperation, responsibility and a realistic approach to financing. AfriForum Youth will continue to support students by finding solutions that ensure academic progress rather than disruption.
