Lectures are set to resume at Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley on Monday, following disruptions at the start of the academic year.
LECTURES are set to resume at Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley on Monday, following disruptions at the start of the academic year.
Online classes were utilised due to student protests over a shortage of accommodation, mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations and “sub-standard catering services” this week.
Sol Plaatje University (SPU) vice-chancellor and principal Professor Andrew Crouch said on Sunday that staff in the division of student affairs had worked closely with the student representative council (SRC) to place first-year students in university-owned or university-accredited accommodation.
“However, the demand for university-owned on-campus student residence places exceeded what we can supply in 2022. It is a norm in the higher education sector that institutions are expected to set aside 30 percent of their overall accommodation for new first-years annually,” said Crouch,
He added that SPU had exceeded this norm by allocating 65 percent of residential beds to first-year students.
“Other first-year students who are Kimberley-based are awaiting the home assessment by the social worker should they need university-owned or off-campus accommodation.”
He encouraged students to apply for a residence place in the prior year or when they applied for an academic place at SPU.
“A significant number of first-year students arrived at SPU in 2022 without a firm academic offer and/or did not apply for a residence place. These students were placed in emergency accommodation while their registration was resolved, and a place was found in either university-owned or accredited accommodation.
“The university has made every effort to assist students.”
