Students paint themselves black, demand admission for high achievers
Students and a delegation of AfriForum Youth will paint themselves black in front of the Department of Higher Education on Monday, 30 January 2012 to protest against the racial targets the Department is imposing on the Veterinary Science Faculty of the University of Pretoria (UP).
AfriForum Youth are currently representing some 30 learners who collectively earned 190 distinctions in matric and who were turned away at the UP's Veterinary Science Faculty owing to "poor academic performance".
"AfriForum Youth, students and parents, will protest against the admissions process for veterinary science in South Africa. Since this Faculty is the only one of its kind in South Africa it places a unique responsibility on the department to allow top performing students to address the skills shortage of veterinary science in the country," said Charl Oberholzer, National Chairman of AfriForum Youth.
According to Oberholzer students have a right to follow their career of choice and the purpose of this action is to take up that right. "The racial targets that are imposed on the Faculty thus exclude white students and limit their right to a career of their choice."
AfriForum Youth forced the UP in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act to release information on the reasons why these pupils did not gain entrance. According to the university, the Department of Higher Education lays down racial targets according to which the university receives funding. The Department's objective is for the Veterinary Science Faculty at the UP to reflect the national demographics.
"Young people who were born from 1993 onwards should not be subjected to racially-driven policies. They deserve a fair chance and are stripped of their dignity when they are divided into racial categories," said Oberholzer.
Date: 30 January 2012
Time: 11:00
Place: 123 Schoeman Street, Department of Higher Education, Pretoria
RSVP: Charl Oberholzer
Statement issued by Charl Oberholzer, National Chairman, AfriForum Youth, January 27 2012
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