Last week, students at the Sol Plaatje University (SPU) in Kimberley embarked upon protest action against the new, fully outsourced catering model that came into effect on 15 April.
This follows petitions made to the SPU’s council by the student representative council (SRC) to implement a subsidised food scheme for the remaining seven months of the academic year that would cover two meals for every registered student in university-owned or managed residence, whilst retaining, where applicable, their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) allocations.
The council approves, amongst others, the resolutions as recommended by the Finance Committee of Council (Finco):
1. Implement a catering system congruent with the budget constraints and sustainability for the remainder of 2024 for students residing in university-owned or managed accommodation.
2. The SRC’s proposal for the retention of the full NSFAS allowance, whilst benefitting from a two-meal subsidisation, is unfair and unconventional.
3. All students in university-owned or managed residences, irrespective of their funding status, will receive a daily lunch meal provided by the university.
4. Students who receive a food allowance from the NSFAS or other funders will use their monthly stipend to purchase additional daily meals.
5. Unfunded and vulnerable students have access to the various food security and social relief programmes on campus to supplement their nutritional requirements.
The subsidisation of lunch meals for students residing in university-owned or managed accommodation will result in a R8,62 million deficit for the university in 2024, as opposed to the R24 million should the SRC proposal be adopted. This is not financially sustainable.
Through a benchmarking exercise that involved 19 universities, the SPU established that none of those universities provide meals at no cost to students, regardless of the catering model used.
The SPU heavily subsides its students by cross-subsidising the full-cost of university-owned or managed residences; destitute students already receive one daily meal; the university subsidises the cost of catering personnel; the cost of laptops for first year students is subsidised by 50%; and a waiver of tuition costs is provided for students who pass all their modules in minimum time.
The SPU remains committed to supporting vulnerable and destitute students through its food security and social relief programmes.
However, students who receive monthly living allowances or who are self-funded will be expected to manage their finances in a manner that does not lead to their future food insecurity.
