Yesterday was a day of National Protest by South African university students. Nearly all major universities suspended academic activities in order for students to protest the current fee’s system. None of this is news. Social media has blown up – making this one of the first hashtag revolutions. Everyone has an opinion in support or objection allowing everyone an opportunity to participate. Both sides of this protest have raised some very strong issues and I feel that I need to add my voice to the many out there.
Over the last week I’ve been part of many different discussions with many different groups of people and one thing is clear – EVERYONE is very emotional about this. There are two very distinct sides and there just is no compromise. I do, however, feel that there are some very key facts that people are not addressing.
I personally have avoided politics like the plague – most scientists do. But this last week has highlighted the importance of being aware and getting involved. The WITS Student Representative Council initiated this movement BUT only 23% of the WITS student population voted in this years election making it a council that most definitely does not represent our student body. By not voting we are giving up our voice. We are allowing large amounts of power to be placed in the hands of political parties who can rally up enough people to vote. Perhaps we were unaware of the power the SRC had, perhaps not enough of us are actively involved in campus activities. Whatever the reason, the message now needs to hit home:
You need to be present in your life. You need to be present in things that affect your life. Your voice matters and you need to make it heard.
Secondly, this IS NOT a racial matter. Stop making it one. It is going to take time before racial biases are sufficiently lessened. Just look at the USA and the racial tensions that still remain there. While there have been great strides made, we still have a way to go. In the meantime, we all need to think about seemingly innocent words we use, and be sensitive to the fact that they could be found offensive to a different group.
What has been abundantly evident this week of heightened emotion, peoples hidden biases come screaming out and we need to deal with them. We need to check the conditions of our own hearts and watch our speech patterns. Respect where you come from. Respect where others come from. Take some time to find out all sides of the argument before you get caught up in the emotional wave. This protest is about Education – watch that you don’t turn it into something else and the issue is far more complicated than the media has reported.
On a more personal note, I believe in the cause but not the method. I come from a long line of teachers and one of my biggest passions in life is Education and Learning. I agree that the 10.5% increase is too tough a pill to swallow in this economic climate but holding a university (and its representatives) hostage is not the way to do this. Having been involved in teaching university students for 5 years now, it has been made abundantly clear that current schooling does NOT adequately prepare students for university. I don’t just mean scientifically (although that’s true too) but from a basic skills level. It is unacceptable that students cannot read properly. It is unacceptable that students cannot write proper sentences or use basic punctuation. It is unacceptable that students cannot perform basic mathematical functions. It is unacceptable because these students are the top 1 % of the country. If they cannot do it then how are we building a better country? Also aside from the financial strain, and the adjustment to campus life, students who have not mastered basic skills are being expected to perform under specialist conditions and have a massive knowledge gap to bridge in a very short space of time. Most of the students that cross our doors struggle greatly with this, many of whom crumble under this kind of pressure. This is not the students fault – it’s never been expected of them before. This is also not an attack on teachers – they’re doing the best they can given the situations they find themselves in. This is the governments fault. This is who we should be protesting against.
For years the government has created a stigma that the only way you will succeed in life is by having a university degree. This simply isn’t true. There has been an even greater drive to push science and engineering as careers. I personally have heard the local Minister of Education sell these careers with celebrity status to an audience of primary school kids. These are important occupations, but are most definitely NOT for everyone. We need to revisit the bar for success. Focus needs to be shifted to skills based occupations and the importance and value of them. Simply put – we need skilled people who know how to do things with their hands not just their heads. Being a scientist, I am trained just as that. I will not be starting my own business – I will always be working for one. This applies to many university courses. Given the infancy of our country, it is not financially responsible to encourage occupations that rely on there being available jobs. We need to be encouraging occupations that can create jobs, that can build businesses, that can make people a financial success on their own without relying on big businesses. Government needs to wake up – stop selling unrealistic and unsustainable dreams. And it’s not that people cannot do it, its that not everyone can practically do it.
Say what you like about #witsfeesmustfall, but I personally appreciate that it has forced this dialogue. It’s forced us as students to engage with issues we wouldn’t normally. It’s forced me to grow my views and beliefs and to express them in a way to encourage a dialogue rather than to start an argument. I’ve had to learn not to jump on emotional waves, but to look for and consider the facts before making decisions. For that I am grateful and my hope is that whatever your view, you take a moment to reflect on the last week and what it has brought up for you.
Tales from the Fishtank 