S African universities shut over student protests
South African universities have remained closed amid student protests despite the government's reversal of a decision for a fee hike.
Despite the government’s decision to scrap the hike in tuition fees that triggered protests, the student leaders are now encouraging students to push the government to provide high-quality university education for all students.
The nationwide protest broke out last week when universities first announced a 10-12 percent hike in tuition fees.
The protest is the biggest public disruption in the country since an apartheid regime was toppled there some twenty years ago.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at tens of thousands of students last week who had gathered outside government headquarters in Pretoria to protest.
One hot spots of the recent protests is the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg which was also shut on Monday.
Wits Vice-Chancellor Adam Habib has criticized the students' decision to continue protesting.
Habib said disruption of lectures and exams would "only further entrench and deepen the inequalities in our society."
University of Cape Town (UCT) vice-chancellor, Max Price, said that the campus would remain closed all week, as students had not decided to end the protests and resume classes.
"I believe no purpose will be served by attempting to keep the university open," he said in a statement.
Price then praised "the courage and tenacity" of the student protesters, saying there had been "diminishing investments by government in higher education over the past five years."
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