The following manifesto was submitted to UhuruNews.com for release by the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania.
We, the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (PASMA), view education as an instrument to transform the society into a non-racial, non-sexist and classless order. Hence we are convinced and believe that education should therefore not be commercialized and/or privatized but should rather remain a right, freely accessible to all. Key amongst others our objectives includes mobilizing and rallying all the students behind the revolutionary banner of socialist internationalism and permanent social revolution.
We are committed to struggle for the total destruction of capitalism, neo-colonialism and imperialism. This will give birth to classless society, free from exploitation and oppression of man by man.
Exorbitant fees and perpetual fee increment:
We highly condemn exorbitant fees of the University and the perpetual increment. We view this as financial exclusion of students particularly from the working class background and makes education only accessible to children of the capitalists. We call for FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL irrespective of gender, race and social position; at public cost.
We further object to other forms of exclusion (academic, social, etc) as contrary to the imperative of social development. We demand a democratic education system free from evil and immoral policies aimed at poor students from the working class families.
Student support services:
We are brutally against the current lack of adequate student support services and we demand an immediate provision for quality and massive services:
➢ Library services: We call for 24-hour library services and study centre at all regional centers of the institution. We further demand enough seats (study space) for all UNISA students.
➢ Tutorial class: We stand firmly for provision of QUALITY tutorial sessions in all courses to improve the academic performance of students. This should be coupled with the employment of qualified tutors with necessary academic credentials.
➢ Free internet services: The scientific development of mankind over the last few centuries has made it almost impossible to make any academic advancement without the internet. It is along this line that we demand massive and FREE internet service for all UNISA students.
Student support services are the most important assets for any student to achieve his/her academic ambitions; we will therefore not compromise in as far as this item is concerned.
Centralization of resources and neglect of campuses:
We have noted with great regret the unnecessary marginalization of other UNISA campuses especially those outside the Gauteng province. This has clearly demonstrated itself with the centralization of power and resources to Gauteng based campuses. We brutally condemn the neglect of other regional campuses and we call for equitable distribution of resources (books, access to internet, etc.) among all UNISA campuses.
Academic problems and maladministration:
We object to conversion of courses from semester courses to year courses (e.g. College of Science and Engineering) and view this as academic miscalculation and will result into total waste of students’ time and resources.
The late arrival of assignments and scripts coupled with unending mistakes by dispatch departments are viewed as major contributors to students’ academic under performance; serious steps should therefore be taken to eradicate this problem. We call for a proper administration consisting of qualified administrators. AWAY WITH MALADMINISTRATION! AWAY!
Sport and recreation:
We are concerned with the lack of proper sport facilities for our students to advance their non-academic talents and dreams. We demand that proper sport facilities be availed in all regions for general access by students and staff. We further demand a provision for recreation like social events and activities (e.g. freshers’ ball, bashes, etc) for UNISA student community.
Discrimination and exploitation:
As a revolutionary student movement armed with pure revolutionary theory, we reaffirm our stance against any form of discrimination whether racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, religious and discrimination of disabled people:
➢ Racism and sexism: These per definition can only practiced by those who hold power (especially economic power) over the other therefore our struggle against them can never be separated from our overall struggle against capitalism and imperialism. It is with same passion that we fought Apartheid that we should fight patriarchy and male chauvinism against our mothers and sisters.
➢ Homophobia and xenophobia: We condemn any manifestation homophobia as ultra conservative and it perpetrators belong no where but in the dustbin of history. Xenophobia, as demonstrated by the recent xenophobic outbreak, can only be perpetuated by counter revolutionary fascist seeking to avoid a social revolution that might overthrow capitalism. It can only be criminal of us to claim to be revolutionary and be xenophobic at the same time.
➢ Discrimination of disabled students: We demand proper facility to accommodate needs and aspirations of disabled students in all campuses of UNISA and further demand a disability bursaries for all disabled irrespective of social position and/or family background.
Education system and curricula:
The current education system and curricula as inherited from Apartheid, like in any other capitalist regime, is designed to perpetuate the current status quo (i.e. exploitation of the majority [working class] by the minority [capitalists]). Our masses are subjected to brain damaging neo-liberal and capitalist propaganda entailed in our study material and other sources of information. Judging from history and sociology, which are taught purely from capitalist background, it is clear that the current regime has no socialist intensions now and not in future! The snail-paced transformation process initiated by the government has clearly failed; a more and sustainable solution is needed.
We agitate for education system and curricula that is free from capitalist propaganda and exclusion but directly twined in terms of content and fate to workers struggle and advancement of socialist struggle. We are further against the current reactionary model institutional governance, where greedy principals and/or vice chancellors and councils, are tasked with the management of our institutions. We call for management of institutions by democratic worker-student councils, with the deploying constituency reserving the right to recall.
Conclusion:
We have revolutionary credentials on our side, we never failed students any where in the country before we can’t fail you. Ours is the legitimate cause, we have nature and mankind on our side! Victory is certain, it is only left to time tell and history to confirm! The students struggle is directly intertwined with workers struggle!
Vote the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (PASMA). It is the only remaining genuine fighting revolutionary movement of our generation. IT IS THE ONLY CHOICE TO MAKE!
Forward with FREE EDUCATION in our lifetime! Forward!
Viva! The workers struggle for Socialism! Viva!
Izwe lethu! I-Afrika!
Vere vere! PASMA! Vere vere!
VOTE PASMA! IT IS THE ONLY CHOICE TO MAKE!
