When There's A Leadership Void
After nearly two weeks of university students protesting against an increase in fees and following their demands, we all have a responsibility to pause and reflect. The first reflection is about student power and, by extension, people power. It was refreshing to see the students reminding all of us, like they did in 1976 that real power lies with the governed and not the governors. And that when the people rise and speak with one voice, they can effect change. Well done to the students for their demonstration of courage and prepardnesss to be agents of change. Generally, they carried out their protest with dignity and responsibility. But it would be remiss of me not to express my disappointment with the behaviour of some sections of the student movement. The mayhem we saw on our television screens, especially at the Union Buildings last Friday, did little if any public relations for the students and their cause. The burning of police vehicles and portable toilets, the tearing down of security fences, the hurling of stones at the police and the reported stoning of buses ferrying Wits students by other fellow students were a blot on a canvas whose story was evolving with admiration from those of us who had been watching.
Student formations and their leaders must pronounce on this and ensure such incidents do not recur in the future. No doubt the police had their hands full because of the protests. There are views that some of the action by the police was over the top. Indeed, we did see some disturbing footage on television where police seem to have been too harsh with some of the students. But spare a thought for our men and women in blue. They have a duty to maintain law and order. At some stage I was worried that the skirmishes in Pretoria after the march were going to result in something tragic. Another Marikana could have happened. Let's credit the police for having not been trigger-happy. They did exercise restraint but incidents of alleged police brutality must be fully investigated. And now for the real issues and how the authorities and the government in particular handled it. What started as a Wits issue was not properly handled at an institutional level. How does a university announce an increase in fees just before exams, knowing full well how sensitive the issue is? Or was there perhaps hope by the university authorities that given the time of year, students would not pay attention to the matter because they would be focused on preparing exams?
The kind of approach, I would argue, is indicative of bad faith. But I was even more horrified when I learnt that it is the practice amoung universities to announce fees increases around this time of year. As a parent who pays university fees, I find this highly inconsiderate. Basically, it leaves parents with just over two months to make adjustments towards paying higher fees. And why increases that are way above the inflation rate when salaries of working parents would have been increased by more or less the inflation rate? More devastating, and somewhat ironic, the protests proved the inadequacy of scholarly crtitique in bringing about change - even to the sector that is the natural habitat of scholars. I couldn't but smile wryly when I heard university principal after university principal and academic after academic suddenly expressing support for the students and their demands. I wondered whether the support was limited to the "fees must fall" demand or also extended to the transformation of higher education. And, of course, the question about who should provide thought leadership on matters of higher education could not but cross my mind. As things stand the students have clearly provided the leadership. Experts in public relations tell us that an issue not properly handled can escalate into a crisis.
Where doe this leave the government? The state, in spite of something called institutional autonomy by the universities, is the ultimate custodian of higher education. The students have no illusions about this. They marched to three targets last week and produced results: Parliament, the ruling party's headquarters and the Union Buildings. This issues they raised are not new. I am certain there are reports in the government - from the days of the first minister of education post-apartheid to date - about the challenges facing higher education. Has the government done enough to address these issues and/or challenges? Clearly not. Otherwise our children would not have taken to the streets to voice their concerns. While we must welcome the intervention by the government last week and the temporary breakthrough brokered at the meeting called by President Jacob Zuma, it did not have to get this far. The leadership in higher education, both at our higher learning institutions and within the government, have some serious explaining to do.
