Soldiers of the revolution Comrades if there is a sector that needs transformation that would be further and higher education. Most of these former white institutions are resistant to changes as decision-making processes largely depend on conservative Old Boys Clubs. This renders them lilly-white, anti-working class friendly and racist. This manifests itself in many ways including; * Incidents of racial discrimination and attacks (many remain undisclosed) * Blacks comprise majority of the high drop-out rate * Constant annual fee increments * Inadequate outreach programmes beneficial to communities * Rigidity that maintains inaccessibility and uncomfortability to poor students Comrades I'm still convinced that there's more that the PYA is capable of doing to change this status quo. It's just a matter of being more organised and more strategic. We have to ensure that transformation of education is a priority for everybody and not only for those in the academics or politics. For it is through the same educational system that oppressors have a tool to maintain and advance oppressive systems. We can't have a ruling class-allied government that allows educational institutions to managed as a citadels for/by the Haves. The Constitution affirms to this. Again, there's much we still have learn from our counterparts in East Europe, Africa and South America. Viva La Revolucion! Talk Frank
--- On Thu, 17/9/09, Gugu Ndima <[email protected]> wrote: From: Gugu Ndima <[email protected]> Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] WITS SHOULD NOT BE IN BUSINESS OF MAKING PROFIT-YCLSA SUPPORTS THE MASS ACTION LED BY THE PYA AT WITS UNIVERSITY To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, 17 September, 2009, 8:53 AM WITS SHOULD NOT BE IN BUSINESS OF MAKING PROFIT! 17 September 2009 The Young Communist League of South Africa (UFasimba) in the province of Gauteng supports the ongoing mass action led by the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) at Wits University against student fee increment by the university’s ruling oligarchy. The YCLSA in Gauteng strongly believes that the continuing commoditisation of education and related student fee increment serve to reproduce national, class and gender inequalities that were transferred from colonial and apartheid socio-economic relations. In particular amidst the crisis of the global capitalist regime, fee increment by further and higher education institutions constitutes an assault against students from working class and poor communities. Embedded in this is an intention to increase the already high rate of financial drop-outs and to block access. The ongoing crisis of the global capitalist regime has ensured that there are massive job losses, persistent short-time and temporary lay-offs, residential evictions and repossessions, and sky-rocketing cost of living over and above the brutality that was already in place from poverty wages, casualisation and labour brokers. Under the circumstances to expect students from working class and poor communities to pay more over and above the presently prohibitive fees is both immoral and barbaric. As the YCLSA we call on Wits University students not to dampen their revolutionary spirit and morale but to continue fighting until their demands are met. We firmly believe that Wits University, like all other public further and higher education institutions is not in a business of profit maximisation, but that it is an institution entrusted with the responsibility to impart knowledge and transfer skills. We are disgusted by the loud silence of Wits University’s Council Chairperson Mr Saki Macozoma. Instead of dealing with students problems emanating from the Council’s reactionary decisions, he is busy ploughing resources into COPE and rendering Wits an institution for the elite and super rich. We call on Wits University’s Council to reverse the immoral and barbaric fee increment decision. We also call on all other further and higher education institutions in the province to freeze student fee increment in line with the memorandum submitted by the South African Student Congress (SASCO) Gauteng Province to the Department of Higher Education and Training on Friday 11 September, 2009. In support of SASCO’s memorandum, we once more call on the Department Higher Education and Training to intervene in the whole question of student fee increment. Otherwise intensified action shall follow. Issued by YCLSA Gauteng Province Contact: Alex Mashilo Provincial Secretary – --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
