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In response to my criticisms of violence and the threats thereof by the EFF, some have raised the accommodation challenge. I know that most of them don't care about the issue using it as a political tool to deflect, but it is useful to identify the challenge for those interested.
The accommodation challenge:Wits has 6500 beds and a demand from 14000 students. At the moment there is enough supply in Bram if you add private providers.But the problem is their costs which many students cannot afford. So currently at Wits supply is not the issue, but money is.
Many (including the press) have spoken about students sleeping in Libraries. On investigation, we found that these students have lost NSFAS bursaries because they repeatedly failed.This is why they cannot get private accommodation,even though there are beds in private facilities.
It is worth noting that the world over free educ. means free tuition,not free accomm. and full subsistence.The only exception is Scandinavian countries where free educ. is inclusive of all.Even Germany & Mexico have only free tuition. We have decided different for NSFAS students.
The strategic issues that arise from this challenge are two: 1st, given the scale of the poor, we do need to provide residences. But no Univ. can resolve it given resources. It has to be addressed by gov. either through its own resources or a partnership with the private sector.
2nd, we need a discussion about repeated failures. Young people do make mistakes. But how many 2nd chances do we give as a society? If students fail more than twice, should they not be excluded? Remember, for every student who fails, another student cannot get in. Is this fair?
Here is my challenge to both activists and journalists who raise the accommodation challenge. Let's have a serious conversation. Let's discuss the complexities and trade-offs, not just the spectacle. If we want to resolve the challenge,let's collectively work out how to do this.
