Fees Must Fall

So I got an interesting call on that other Wednesday evening: “Bro, The registrar changed his mind. I just read an email. We are now allowed to bring two guests to the Graduation Ceremony. It will be too short notice for Mama so you will have to come. It’s this Friday”.

“Eish! I have a major production issue that I’m dealing with, I’m not sure if I will manage but let me see what I can do”

“Please let me know first thing in the morning. It will be dope if you make it”

?The reverse psychology worked on me, So I worked late that night to make sure I earn that leave day. I must say, checking-in code in the wee hours of the morning never felt so good.

?“So what’s the verdict?”

??“We are on”

?“Great! Wear something cool. I know I will be looking dope.”

?Cava language and the pressure?

?So on Friday I picked up the young man at 7AM and oh boy, he looked the part. I had not seen the site of Gencor Hall yet, but right there I knew he was going to stand out. And also if you knew him, If you knew how composed he always is, then you would know; that morning he was definitely over the moon.

?So we arrive on campus at 8AM. Just what the register ordered. Too early for 10AM I thought to myself. But oh boy it was worth it; Joy was in the air! You should have seen the young men and women in their suits of all sorts of types and colours. You should have seen how happy they looked. You should have listened to their conversations; How they acknowledged and greeted one another. The conversations. Shared memories. And the normal teasing’s. What a place to be it was. The one story which stood out for me there was of Mr. Prince Ngubane, a former high school science teacher who dropped his 5+ years career and went back full time to study Information Technology. Wow!

10 AM rather came by too soon and there we were, seated in the Graduation Hall. Professors, Doctors and Deans on that stage with their blue, red, yellow and all sorts of colourful regalia’s. Oh man wasn’t I inspired all over again. I must have zoned into my own 10 years reminisce of that stage because I don’t recall much of the opening speech… but soon I was jolted awake by ululates of some of the guest parents. It was off the hook! Pretty dope! Soon it was my brother there on stage; “Thongoana’a marutla raselaelo, Ngwana kgaetsedi e sa dumeng. Wo mo swana ka mmala”, That is how Mama and Koko would have praised him if they were seated in that hall. He proceeded on stage with precise movements. As if his every move was calculated. He did not even seem to be bothered by the mispronunciation of our Surname. If it was me, I wasn’t going to let it go. Red regalia or not, I was going to teach a professor how to pronounce my Surname right there on that stage. Anyway, saying praises is not my thing, so I opted to clap hands. I clapped and clapped. I clapped harder when I was imagining what I’m going to do with that extra disposable income when the young man gets a job. The thoughts were appealing, so I clapped even harder.

?A quite number of cum laude’s were awarded that morning. A lot more than what I remember from the day I walked that stage. I thought that was rather dope. What an event! The tears of joy from some graduates. The distinct celebrations. Some parents’ weeps of joy. All sorts of things that makes you wonder how hard it must have been to commandeer that Diploma.

?Just when I thought it doesn’t get any better, some moments after the last graduate walked the stage, just before the closing speech; I noticed a young man being brought to stage; LOL, They must have forgotten him, I thought to myself. I was however in for rather a pleasant surprise. Talk about saving the best for last; This young man was there to receive a chancellors’ trophy for outstanding academic performance in the faculty of Information and Communication Technology. George Mguni! Born and raised in a village somewhere in Mpumalanga. He obtained a whooping 21 distinctions out of 24 modules. ?This chap got his biography read by the executive Dean of the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology. Banna! I don’t know about you, but I think he is outstanding!

?This event had me calling for a couple of Lekgotla’s with myself. I wondered why Mr. Prince Ngubane became a science teacher to begin with. If it was even a clear choice at all. I wondered if we will ever have platforms good enough to challenge George Mguni. I wondered how long it will take for us to afford him same platforms he would have been afforded if he was born and raised in Massachusetts. I wondered what a young woman or man could have went through to burst into tears on that stage. But most of all I wondered how many young men and women are outside those University walls because of barriers such as mal-Information, lack of support or even loss of hope. I wondered how many, just like my younger self, are that side simply because of school fees. I wondered if I still somewhat agree with Edmore Mutekwe’s key conclusion in his paper “Unmasking the ramifications of the fees-must-fall conundrum in higher education institutions in South Africa: A critical perspective”. I even wondered if we should still call the fee issue a conundrum; because if you were there with me in front of that Graduation Hall before and after the ceremony. If you listened to stories of those young men and women. If you were in the hall and saw those parents ululate with tears, and if you were there and saw some graduates break down into tears on that stage, perhaps you would not need any one to convince you why #FeesMustFall.

?And oh, by the way, they no longer call it Gencor Hall, it has now been renamed to Ruth First Hall. So if you are attending any graduation ceremony at TUT Soshanguve South Campus this graduation season, a few might know what you mean if you ask for Gencor.

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