DURBAN - The Durban University of Technology (DUT) condemned the spreading of fake news over the registration processes at the university.
This comes after the EFF Student Command-led SRC hosted hundreds of students at an exam venue at the institution demanding to be registered.
SRC chairperson, Nkululeko Mzobe, said the university was struggling to register the acceptable number of students, therefore, was delaying the commencement of the academic year.
“The university has only registered 27% of the expected number of students who are to enrol in the institution, after three weeks. It then extended the registration period for a week, which makes no sense. It cannot be that the university thinks it can register an entire two-thirds majority of the expected student population in one week after failing to do so for an entire three weeks. We are calling on DUT to allow for the registration to occur in its premises. Clearly, they did not put measures in place to curb the crises we are facing.
“Academics will be forced to delay once more after this week should the institution fail to register these students. We demand DUT to register these students here, and forget about online registration,” Mzobe said.
DUT communications manager, Noxolo Memela, said the university extended the registration for a week to allow for the registration of students who have not been able to.
“On Friday, February 11, 2022, the university extended the online registration period by one week to this Friday, February 18, 2022. Online registration was scheduled to end last Friday, February 11, 2022, with lectures initially meant to start today, Monday, February 14, 2022. However, due to the extension of online registration, lectures are now scheduled to commence on Monday, February 21, 2022,” Memela said.
She said the institution did not call for walk-ins or first-year students to come to campus and that the registration would continue online.
“When lectures commence on Monday, February 21, 2022, the university will continue to offer multi-modal, online teaching and learning to returning students. Permits to access campus will only be granted to first-year students and students who are enrolled for exit modules, to attend mask-to-mask lectures on campus. Other permits will be issued to students who require access to the practical laboratories and students whose conditions at home are not conducive to learning,” Memela said.
Zama Msomi, 19, from Newlands West, said she had hoped that their presence would compel the university to open registration to deserving students. Registration had already cost her close to R400 this week alone, just for transportation.
“DUT is not the only institution that is denying us an opportunity to better our lives. I have been up and down all over Durban to find a school just to further my education. Unfortunately, we are being ignored, our emails and calls are not being attended to and the university should be considering the opening of its premises to allow for physical registration. I am now going to sleep here at the university because I cannot afford to go back home as I have already spent something close to R400 on transport alone,” Msomi said.
Daily News