Kamogelo Muvhenzhe
Every year Unisa has registration problems, but this year, the University of South Africa seems to have hit a new high in under-achieving.
Some students haven’t received study material, while others have not been able to finish registering for the university. Others, meanwhile, haven’t received their book allowances.
#UselessUnisa has featured in over 5,000 tweets.
“The university does not care about our futures,” wrote one user, who seems to have summed up the overall sentiment of the student body.
The students claim that the National Student Financial Aid has confirmed to them that their allowances have been released to Unisa, yet nothing has been forthcoming from the university.
“I have 10 assignments due on May 15, but I have no allowance, no prescribed books or laptop,” tweeted a student.
Another wrote, “Registrations not finalized, temporarily registered since January.”
On Monday night, some students slept at the Winnie Mandela Building of the university, saying they will continue to do so until they get what was due to them.
The majority of academic assignments are due this Wednesday, and students demand that this date be postponed until they have their study materials.
The students’ representative council (SRC) is now saying they are considering taking legal action against the institution over delays in accepting student intake for the year 2021.
In 2020, Unisa enrolled more than 80,000 students despite setting a target of 57,000.
Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande, ordered the institution to reduce its 2021 intake of first-time students by 20,000 to make up for the excessive intake in 2020 but the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled on 11 March that the minister’s decision was unlawful.
Image source: @UNISA
