The Solidarity Movement’s plan for university crises
5 October 2016
The Solidarity Movement today at an urgent media conference in Centurion called for the universities to be reopened as soon as possible. The Solidarity Movement, which includes Solidarity, AfriForum, AfriForum Youth and Solidarity Helping Hand, represents thousands of students, university staff and parents who work hard to keep their children at university, and would like to see the urgent resumption of the academic programme.
According to Flip Buys, Chairperson of the Solidarity Movement, it is unacceptable that a small minority of riotous students is depriving the vast majority of students of their right to study. “We insist that the academic year should resume immediately after the recess while negotiations to find a solution continue,” Buys said.
According to Dr Danie Brink, Chief Executive of Helping Hand, the poor students studying with Helping Hand’s study assistance show extreme tolerance towards university authorities. They understand that quality university education is expensive and they take the initiative to finance their studies themselves.
“On behalf of 1 250 students studying with study assistance to the value of more than R31 million, we insist that university authorities should ensure that the academic year runs smoothly and that they clamp down strongly on protesters. The students studying with our study assistance do not have a second chance at education – do not take the only chance they have away from them,” Brink said.