Several tertiary institutions were disrupted by student protests at the start of the 2023 academic year. There have been protests by students over a variety of issues, including housing.
TVET College Students Protest Over NSFAS Allowances
The Mpondozankomo TVET College in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, remains closed.Mpondozankomo Campus was the scene of a protest action last week that injured several students and two police officers.
The students are protesting for an increase in NSFAS allowances, as well as the right to stay off-campus. They claim that the college-provided accommodation is located far from the institution, putting their safety at risk.Students have expressed that the ongoing conflict has significantly affected their academic performance, as exams are also in progress.
- Our campus has been closed for a week and before this strike there was a strike of lecturers that took almost two weeks. We are supposed to be catching up from the strike of the lectures but now its NSFAS issues.
Students from Nkangala College’s Student Representative Council (SRC) met with college management to discuss issues and demands.Despite this, college management has not negotiated with students regarding their demands.According to management, students think they can stay in the back rooms and get R4500 per month. That’s not what the policy says.”
NSFAS student accommodation policies require TVET colleges to provide students with housing that is conducive to learning and studying.The college management has beefed up security in and around campus in response to students’ threats to continue the strike until their demands are met.