19 January 2012   

"The last-minute mad rush of late applications is common cause for concern, as we saw last week when a mother tragically lost her life due to the chaotic nature of the transition period from basic education to tertiary level," said Mkhuleko Hlengwa, IFP Youth Brigade National Chairperson.

Mkhuleko was reacting to the on-going registration backlog evident throughout the country's tertiary institutions.

"This current backlog is really concerning, and urgent steps must be implemented to remedy this situation. The mad rush is caused by the concurrence of the academic calendar of both higher and basic education. The parallel of the timetable is not sensible. We need to separate the two and have the basic education timetable run from January to December, as is currently, and tertiary education should run from June to May, to allow enough time to place students properly and ensure a smooth transition. It is beyond worrying that prospective students have to spend nights sleeping outside university gates because of the time pressure and desperation of being allocated a place as a student." added Mkhuleko.

He further added that; "The other issue that will be addressed by this move would be that of re-routing career choices which at times need to be changed because of marks. And finally the learners who need to write supplementary exams can manage to do so  without having to wait a full year to register and avoid the registration congestion of the next year."

In conclusion Mkhuleko said, "It will be in the best interest of students and tertiary institutions to stagger, and discontinue the concurrence of the two academic calendars and avoid this dangerous mad rush for space."

For further information, please contact:
Mkhuleko Hlengwa,  on 083 871 2711
IFP Youth Brigade National Chairperson