THOHOYANDOU - The management of the University of Venda for Science and Technology was served with a court order on Saturday, November 1, which ruled that students who had not yet paid all of their tuition fees, be allowed to write the end-of-year examinations.

In compliance with and on the basis of this order, the management of the university decided that all registered students will write their year-end examinations from Monday 3 to 21 November 2003.

All students should continue paying and must have settled their outstanding accounts in full by November 30, 2003.

This effectively reverses the concessions management made earlier, before the court order. These entailed that special examinations would have been written in January 2004, by students who could not pay up by the October 31st deadline and sit for the current exams.

Non-settlement of fees will result in students not writing supplementary exams in January and February 2004 or receiving their exams results.

The university's financial constraints are partly due to non-payment of fees, a well-known phenomenon at historically disadvantaged institutions. Management has the responsibility to manage the institution.

Although fees are kept at a minimum, compared to other institutions, Univen has had unqualified audits for three years in a row, and operates on one of the lowest overdrafts among its peers.

Exercising strict measures to change the culture of non-payment is part of the effort to manage the resources of Univen. More than a third of the R72,2 million student bill for 2003 has thus far been paid.

As of Saturday, November 01, more than 4000 of the student body had settled their accounts, some of whom paid in more than R3,5 million just last week alone. Students who still owe include some relying on financial aid through loans and partial bursaries.

During summits conducted in September and early October at different locations, parents requested Univen to extend the fee payment deadline to October 31, which management had earlier set for September 30th.

The court-overridden extension of deadlines for fee payments was requested by parents, and was acceded to precisely out of management's consideration for the students' mainly poor backgrounds.

Additionally, the University allowed special arrangements for parents to settle 90% of fees before the exams and 10 percent by December.

Aside from this, the University has secured financial support for students through loans, bursaries and the establishment of a student fund. However, all these measures were not meant to substitute the obligation to pay for students' education, but to meet parents halfway.

"We see the current rate and levels of payment as a positive sign that parents heeded management's call to pay up.

"We look forward to a time when parents continue liaising with the University on fees and other concerns, and willing students focusing mainly on other education-related matters of direct consequence to them.

"The Council, management and other interested parties are committed to placing Univen among the best," says Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof Sophie Mahoko.