This year, registration campaigns at Stellenbosch University have assisted around 300 students to register after they initially lacked access to funding or accommodation.
This was owing to a collaboration in January between the Student Representative Council (SRC) and the residence placement office.
Students sitting outside the SRC Office. PHOTO: Masego Mafata
The South African Students Congress (SASCO) and the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) assisted the SRC and placement office through their respective #RightToLearn and #SizofundaNgenkani campaigns.
Senior students and students without funding often struggle to get assistance from the registration campaigns, said Dr Celeste Nel, director at the placement office. Priority was given to assist first-year students who have funding, by placing them in residences or private accommodation, added Nel.
Students queue outside the bursaries and loans office. PHOTO: Masego Mafata
“This process refers to residence placements [of] first-year students [who] have already registered for an academic programme and would like to be considered for accommodation, based on a NSFAS allocation. Any first-year can register on the waiting list at any time, but our focus is to place first-years who have received NSFAS funding,” said Nel.
The registration campaigns began during the second week of January 2020, said Motsoari Nthunya, chairperson of SASCO. “Our role as student activists is to ensure we turn the constitutional promise of education into a reality,” said Nthunya.
The collaboration on the matter has alleviated political conflicts between the SRC, EFFSC and SASCO, said Jeff Ngobeni, SRC member and EFF affiliate. Ngobeni attributes the success of the campaigns to the collaboration between the constituencies.
“We try to build relationships with these constituencies [and] work together because all our intentions are the same; we all want to build our campus and do what’s good [for] our students,” said Ngobeni.