Registrations at Universities and TVET colleges in South Africa opened for the 2023 academic year as early as 9 January 2023.
It is alleged that first day lectures at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Ritson and Steve Biko campuses were suspended today.
Students at the university expressed that they have been battling with various challenges from registration to accommodation since the start of the registration period.
As a result, the institution's Student Representative Council (SRC) affirmed that they're shutting down classes after fruitless meetings with management regarding registration issues and they will not allow classes to proceed until academic and financial exclusions and all other issues are dealt with by the institutions management.
"Here at DUT, we are facing lots of challenges. For example, there are lines of students who are being denied accommodation,” says an SRC member.
According to the SRC, they appealed with the institution's management since last year to make sure that come January, there are enough beds to accommodate all students. However, they claim the institution failed to do so.
Students expressed that they been sleeping outside from the 16th of January, waiting to be placed in accommodation, while others are still awaiting funding decision from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme before they can register.
Meanwhile, students claim that university management have advised them to make other funding arrangements as they will not be allowed to register without paying registration fees.
Alan Khan from DUT management expressed the following:
“It is extremely disappointing, today is meant to be the first day of our 2023 academic calendar, 98% of our first time entering students have registered, 92% of returning students have registered. So, we were ready to commence.”
Khan continues, “We understand that there are still some delays regarding Nsfas applications and clearances, but we thought we could get the programme underway.”
Khan says the protest action that was carried out outside of campus grounds were not sanctioned by the SRC and was led by a political student movement.
University management says they will be meeting with the SRC to get a better handle on the situation, thereafter a statement will be issued by both management and the SRC giving an update on the situation.
