The recent #feesmustfall protests have done much to highlight the fact that there are many capable, talented and eager students wanting to ensure a future for themselves through tertiary education. Unfortunately, the reality for many bright would-be university graduates is that they simply do not have access to the funding they require to complete their tertiary education.
Those who are less sympathetic towards protests surrounding tuition and accommodation costs may say that they had to work their way through university, so why can’t others. There are a myriad of reasons why in some cases, this is not viable. Some students may already have the obligation to provide money for relatives – so any extra money made would go towards that. Other students may come from schools where skills thought of as essential, were not acquired due to resource constraints. In such cases, these students must spend much more time getting their skills up to the same level as those of their more privileged peers.
It is clear that something needs to be done. Enter Let’s Build Our Country Fund (LBOC), founded by Penny Mpanza. LBOC focuses on educating, mentoring and developing the youth of South Africa to empower them to become leaders in their own right. One of the practical ways this vision is implemented is by offering 1000 student bursaries on a yearly basis. The qualification criteria for these bursaries are not unattainable – unlike many other bursaries available to students.
LBOC and Different.org are partnering to fundraise for bursary funds to enable two students to receive a year of tertiary education. Go here if you’d like to know more about this project.
Dean :
I opt-out of the fees must fall bull.
Let South Africa become a CASHLESS society, starting one province at a time and Western Cape can be first, this will create the required funding government requires by clamping down on taxes and undeclared income.
Bribes and tender corruption can then be controlled, drug dealers will no longer have an untraceable income and taxi drivers + other cash businesses will have to pay TAX and UIF. Government will then have funds to be able to implement social security as in the USA, then by all means lets reduce the fees dramatically.
BUT FIRST Government will need to build DAMS and repair infrastructure!
THABO BEEA :
treasure general must look upon to credit cards of A.N.C officials and cut them to cover the tertiary intitution so the idea of fees must can be practical government official must step down from the luxury life to standard life so the money they waste for nothing can be used to pay education fees .
Suzana Antonio :
As a previous university student i sincerely sympathize with the students in their plea. But realistically “higher education” is not really a must to obtain a good stable future, yes i said it. Why you might ask?, This is because i’m living in the real world after university. In my line of work i have meet individuals who have no tertiary education who have worked themselves up to do better than what i had been taught in university. Another reason is, if society focuses too much on tertiary education, what will happen to those at fundamental levels of learning? Do people not know that in order to get to university one must actually pass with at least with a bachelor?
And having a degree does not mean that you will have a better chance. There will be too many graduates ( too many already exists in the market, NO LIES GUYS). What we need is innovation, and people in university are not innovative ( This is because they learn someone else’s ideas).
So my advice to this organization is, why not go to the high schools and invest in where learners are at a disadvantage. This will help them in applying and getting the NSFAS bursary that exists. And NSFAS gives bursaries to those who are serious about their studies, I I know ( I’m an ex Student).
Is that not more practical?
Vincent :
People, let us not forget, even ignore something. Something, I think deserves consideration and that is: “What a government pays for, the government gets” That is a fact, even applied to us as individuals. If you want the government to pay for your education, you will have no say on the kind of education you will get. You will continue getting the stupefying education that will go as far as helping you to be a slave to those who pay for it. In fact, this thing of “FREE QUALITY” education is illusory. You have a something of quality for free, it has never happened, and it will never happen. We all have brains, they are not for decoration, let us all use them to solve the problem we have not to think that someone has to give you something you think you deserve. My good friends, if you answer this question, maybe you’ll know what direction to take. Who has quality education, to tell us what it is? If such a person is there, among them founders of the Fees Must Fall Campaign it is a good thing. But if there is no such a person, then they might be given something which they are not fighting for. I think, let us not be lazy, let us read and open our minds. After all, one does not need education to have knowledge. In fact, the true knowledge is outside the classroom. This is an argument form experience.
Hannes :
Hi Andrew.
The lack of competent qualified personnel in South Africa will prevent us from surviving leave alone growing as a country in the modern work. Internationally we have become the laughing stock of the world and nobody is allowed to say it out load. We got stuck in a world where the weak is protected by legislation and we are not motivated to get of our arses and work. The reality of living in Wonderland is that at some stage the pot is going to be empty and the gruelling rules of nature will take over.
“Fees must fall” activists make speeches drawing lines along racial and economic lines…..thing we all feel in our emotions but models that make provisions for “some” is simply not sustainable. Our country’s recourses have been cleaned out of all resource by politicians empowered by un-educated population. Blame Apartheid, blame Zuma does not matter it is history and it is what it is.
Yes as somebody that has never seen the inside of a Tertiary classroom due to the cards that live has dealt me I do understand the frustration. I cannot help not to wonder how many of the students that is prepared to give up a year’s hard work and stand for the cause had a real chance of completing the year successfully. The failure of all will fit right in with the culture in our country where un-accountability is the root of all evil.
The reality is there are no funds to pay for free education for all. Not enough resource and well willingness to determine who is poor enough and previously disadvantaged enough to qualify for free education. Should free education be possible it will also not contribute the solution as it will be a matter of easy come easy go and failing students will find another reason to destabilize the learning process as to fit into the culture of non accountability? Standards will fall and the degrees people will sit with will be worthless.
There is a simple affordable solution. Free education for all that is prepared to learn. We live in a world where ways we communicate has drastically changed over the past few years. With the right resource it is possible for anyone to talk to anyone in the world sitting anywhere in the world. Why do we still need to sit in an unaffordable classroom and listen to a lecturer like 50years ago?
Part of all education contains a large part of theoretical “learning”. Put it online. Enable everybody to join for free and prequalify. This can be done at a fraction of the costs of attending a university and if government fails the cellular companies can take responsibility. In reality their profits will drop resulting into less tax payable to government, money that disappear in the bottomless pit as it is.
Yes at some point there is a practical aspect where we do need to be in a classroom but reality is we cannot afford that for all…..let us give those capable of growing in a classroom a fair chance by eliminating those who should not be there in the first place.
Free education for all is possible.
General Bulelani Mvengenya :
There are so many criticisms around this movement, but unfortunately we don’t need political analysts to tell us what to fight for. here we fight for social justice and the society will realise it when we won.
Tseko Motsetse :
I will like to meet or to talk to one of you to make my input,
I shall await your positive feedback ,
TI Motsetse
Mobile : 0835688323
SimoneG replied :
Hi Tseko, please can you e-mail info@different.org with a little more detail on what you would like to chat about?
Concerned University Student :
Fees will fall that is not up for discussion. The education system is designed to benefit the privileged and anyone else who wants to enter it and complete their studies is hindered. As a student who is part of a research team that aims to find out the reason students succeed or not succeed in University who has seen a majority of researchers BLACK drop out because they don’t have funds to continue but are academically deserving concerns me. I am part of the ‘missing middle class’ who receives no form of funding yet I cant afford tuition is frustrating. The pain of us black students who don’t have access to funding like myself and forced out of the educational system because we are too rich but too poor to afford tuition while we watch our privileged collegues whose sole problems is gettig the latest gadget while we cant even afford to buy bread and have to walk miles to get to school because we cant afford gautrain nor taxis because we count every cent but expected to compete with privileged.
WE NEED FREE EDUCATION NOW
TRUE ACTIVISTt :
A truth fees must fall activist would, after they have created wealth, go back to their communities and help an African Child with fees, and not let the African Child future education funding dependent on government!! Therefore, a true fees must fall activist would do whatever they it takes to ensue that they create wealth as soon as possible! Be the change you want to create – dont waste precious time fighting the government – you may be delaying the future of the truth fees must fall activist who will donate money to black peoples education. Fees will not fall over night – reality of life – and one should not indirectly instill this behavior to our kids. We must create society that is not dependent on government for its future!!
More faith :
I would like to see #matric farewell must fall. This will illuminate parents spending unnecessary money on matric farewell. These funds can be used towards an education.
Tonantzin replied :
Amen!
aconcernedparent :
Dear Andrew
I commend what your organization is trying to do. However if the students really want to make a difference they need to ensure that they do not place their education in jeopardy by ensuring that they complete their degrees and diplomas. Many years ago in the apartheid era I was a student that was refused entry to a university. I also did not have money to pay for my school fees. I was shot at, escorted off beaches because I was the wrong colour. What I did was not disrupt the education of my fellow students but took it upon myself to get funding and also get the university to overturn its rejection. Needless to say I was successful in my endeavours. The students fight should be focused on getting those students whose family income is below a certain band funding from the state. The rest of the students should be paying for their education as per normal. If we have less corruption and this is where we should be focusing our efforts we can have funding to pay the fees of all these students. Everyone is entitled to an education but nowhere in the world is everyone entitled to a university education. You need to earn the right by achieving the minimum requirements to go to university. No university can survive without an increase in fees. If we want our universities to be recognized internationally we have to ensure that we and our students can meet international standards
Concerned University Student replied :
As a student of the missing middle class allow me to address you as I believe I have the required standing in issue. I am deeply concerned about your approach as someone who claims was forced out of the educational system with the same reasons that we are because we don’t have money to pay tuition nor can get any funding but we do very well academically and finance is our only problem. S
Dumisani Mthembu :
“Where there is a will, there is a way”… With this quote I am highlighting the point that if our government can look into it, they can/will find a way to fund our brothers and sisters who are out in the streets fighting for a better and brighter future for ALL SOUTH AFRICANS. In these Tertiary institutions we go to learn the skills that are required by various industries that are critical to the performance of the economy, which in turn is a good for the government because with a healthy economy a lot of other things go accordingly and more jobs are created and more people are satisfied with the standard of life and will not need to depend on the government for anything.
If the government wants to change our society and turn the upcoming generation into people that fully support those in power without leaning or relying on the government, they will take the students serious and there will be co-operation from both ends and in that way we as South Africans, we progress ahead winning through our ordeals.
BIG UPS to you different.org and to the Lets Build Our Country team.
God Bless.
Robben Island Museum replied :
Please give me your contacts. Robben Island Museum would like to invite you and your organisation, fees must fall movement, to a seminar on,
Decolonising Education.
Regards
Thotoane
cell: 0836479772
abram saola :
Yes fees must fall as some of us cant afford to proceed with our studies
Sphephelo :
We as students of South Africa are very much greatful to your movement unlike this ‘fees must fall campaign’ lost course,if not,they are distorting the already illiterate education we have…..
SimoneG :
Hi Makani! Good to hear from you and thank you for visiting our blog. Here’s a link to Let’s Build Our Country Fund’s website, so that you can have a look, and maybe get in touch with them: http://lbocfund.co.za/ Keep well! 🙂
Makani Selina :
I would be grateful if i would be one of the 1000 students funded by LBOC because i can tell you guys are doing an amazing job, and i am greatful for what you guys are doing for our future generation.Thank you for stepping up and making a difference and believing in us