Protesting students have forced the closure of Swaziland’s
only state university after they refused to attend classes in a dispute over
scholarships.
Three students were shot with rubber bullets at close
range by police, including two who were hit in the head, when they attempted to
march on the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to deliver a petition last
week.
Students had been boycotting classes at the university since
the present semester began eight days ago.
The dispute is over the number of scholarships the Swazi
Government is paying this year. Students say 700 people who were granted places
to study at Uniswa and other colleges in Swaziland have been denied
scholarships.
The government previously said it would not grant scholarships
for a number of courses it felt were not priorities for the kingdom’s needs, including
many in the humanities and journalism.
Uniswa announced yesterday (20 August 2012) that it would
close indefinitely and ordered students from two of its three campuses to go
home, which they did. The university says the students’ boycott is illegal.
See also
POLICE SHOOT TWO STUDENTS IN HEAD
ARMED POLICE STOP STUDENTS PROTEST
No comments:
Post a Comment