A better way for UJ?
I am still gutted by the tragic death of Mama Sekwena, whose son sought a late admission to the University of Johannesburg. Mama Molete is also still in intensive care as I write this.
The security measures were inadequate, the crowd control non-existent and the actions of the students deplorable. But UJ is accountable and culpable in another way: flawed thinking. Once-off anomalies can be forgiven, but patterns indicate root causes that need to be addressed.
How has this great institution managed to land itself in a position whereby people feel that entry to a UJ degree can be on a first-come, first-served basis? Surely there is still screening, for a most-likely-to-succeed win-win? I’m sure that smarter minds than mine could spin alternatives, such as a locked submission box, emptied daily and followed up with personal replies.
Another issue that surfaces, of course, is why our black citizens are the ones subjected to this annual humiliation while ‘advantaged’ others can apply online?
The UJ brand is growing in stature, but it is not bulletproof. Come on, colleagues, let’s never see these consequences again.