Umamah Bakharia | ub@radioislam.co.za

2 min read
26 January 2023 | 09:30 AM CAT

The Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) has embarked on a 16-hour march from the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg to the Union Buildings in Pretoria demanding that government address issues within the tertiary sector.

Picture credit: Phill Magakoe

The party’s student body says the government needs to establish alternative schooling facilities for pupils who didn’t qualify for university acceptance.

“The government must be able to expand post-secondary education, such that we are able to absorb those students who want to build a skill set that can be used to advance the economy of South Africa,” says EFFSC command president, Sihle Lonzi.

He adds: “So, the ANC government has no plan whatsoever, in terms of what it will do with those learners who are going to fall through the cracks.”

The EFFSC is expected to arrive in Pretoria on Thursday morning, 26 January, to hand over a memorandum of their demands to The Presidency office.

This comes just a day after High Education Minister Blade Nzimande said the tertiary sector will ensure the smooth enrolment of all prospective students, however, the EFF student command says they are sceptical that this will happen.

“More than 720,000 learners have passed their matric but the higher education sector does not have the capacity to absorb [them],” says Lonzi.

Meanwhile, Nzimande has assured students that the enrolment issue will be treated with urgency as universities across the country prepare to open for the 2023 academic year.