Higher Education: UFS and Fort Hare burn while Akademia builds

Image: Michael Pinyana, The Times

Akademia’s launch of its Paarl campus on Wednesday serves as concrete commentary on the recent destruction of academic facilities at two established South African universities.

At the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Qwa-Qwa campus and Fort Hare’s Dikeni (Alice) campus, students expressed their dissatisfaction by destroying infrastructure. One of the constant causes of unrest is outstanding study debt in addition to failures by NSFAS, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

In stark contrast, Akademia has built on its success in Pretoria by establishing a campus for Western Cape students – and others who choose to study there – in Paarl. All without direct funding from government or NSFAS.  

The main message of it all is that higher education is a privilege that is realised through a labour of love performed by students, their parents, bursary providers and staff. It is simultaneously also a cultural undertaking, equipping students for their future role in the economy.  

In South African higher education circles, institutions are often referred to as either historically advantaged or historically disadvantaged. Akademia’s success lies in the fact that it did not fixate on being disadvantaged by a lack of government funding, but instead, sees endeavouring to offer financially viable classical tertiary education in Afrikaans as a joyous calling.

The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) wishes Akademia all the best with this significant step forward. The current dispensation has created an environment in which the revival of Western values, and particularly the Afrikaans language and culture, is vital across all spheres of life – from politics to academics and everything in between.