Management of the University of Pretoria are to meet student leaders on Monday afternoon to try resolve the impasse over the future of the university’s Mamelodi campus, vice-chancellor Calie Pistorius said.
Students have damaged property in protests against the announcement, at the end of last month, that the university planned to phase out undergraduate programmes at the campus.
Academic activities at the campus have been suspended.
On Monday Pistorius again stressed that the campus is not closing down and that it will remain one of the university’s six academic campuses.
Speaking to journalists at the National Press Club in Pretoria, Pistorius gave more details of the programmes to be moved to the campus.
He said a ”service learning component” giving students practical experience is becoming compulsory in more of the university’s programmes.
”Moving the service learning to Mamelodi would expose more students to the campus.”
Institutions like the university’s law clinic will also be moved to the campus.
”We [will] discuss with the community what other programme could be followed,” Pistorius said.
Giving figures on Monday Pistorius said only 41 of the 1 837 students enrolled at the Mamelodi Campus were from the area.
This means that students from elsewhere who were enrolled in duplicated courses could just as well study at any of the other campuses.
He said all students currently enrolled at the Mamelodi campus will have the opportunity to finish their degrees at the campus.
Only students enrolling from next year will have to do so at other campuses.
Pistorius said academic programmes at the Mamelodi campus will remain suspended until the management and students can come to an agreement over the continuation of classes in ”safe environment for students and staff and where breaking of university property” will not occur. — Sapa