On 4 May 2020, Red Pen published an essay titled; “ALL WORK UNDER CAPITALISM IS DEGRADING AND EXPLOITATIVE”, it has since been brought to the attention of the blog’s editors that the essay is substantially plagiarised. Although we fully appreciate that the bulk of our authors are mostly young people, and in their formative stages of ideology and writing, plagiarism is a crime that cannot be taken lightly. Red Pen is not an academic platform, and does not require strict and formal referencing, however, we believe in the universal principle of crediting authors for their work and ideas.

After assessing the author’s original manuscript, it was difficult to overlook the glaring plagiarism. We have noted that there is not only Plagiarism of ideas, which entails taking ideas of another and presenting them as your own, but also, Plagiarism of Language, which is lifting sentences and paragraphs, as is, from the original text and presenting them as your own.

We view this incident as unfortunate and regrettable, and it is against this background that the editors have decided to remove the said essay from all our social media platforms, and blog. This decision has been duly communicated to the author.

We wish to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who continue to write, read and engage with the material on Red Pen. The platform continues to be a viable and decisive project to open up the space for alternative voices and narratives.

Thank You.

Being at home under the Covid-19 dispensation has been a constant reminder of our incompleteness. We are back at our backwoods where we continue to suffer from the hands of our isolation, with poor service delivery, underdeveloped infrastructures and poor network coverage. We share almost everything with more than five siblings, including a bed. Under these circumstances private space is a foreign word, and this makes studying extremely difficult. The Corona Virus has become a permanent, and daily, reminder of the inequalities in post-Apartheid South Africa. 

We have seen that the wealthy elite have the resources to shield them from the impact of this pandemic. Therefore, privilege remains a principal contradiction. The bourgeois mentality by the institutions of Higher Learning on migration to online learning, without taking into consideration the material conditions of each student on the ground, will result in mass failure if left unattended. 

Predominantly white universities will succeed in their migration to online learning, but what about Black universities and colleges? What about students who are in peripheral locations with poor network coverage? The minister of Higher Education Dr Blade Nzimande announced that 14 universities out of 26 will struggle with online learning. This constitute majority of universities in South Africa. Once again, poor working class students, who are the majority in South Africa, will be left behind.

We have no business in delaying the academic calendar, we are as concerned as Vice-Chancellors of the predominantly white universities and the Department of Higher Education, because to us education means service to society. We are simply asking to compete fairly. It cannot be correct that disadvantaged students are policed to wait for unknown study time due to socio-economic disparities while those who are privileged are afforded an opportunity to study within the comfort of their homes. The Department of Higher Education has an obligation to promote effective learning through reasonable measures by progressively making education available and accessible. 

The current umbrella approach solution in the pipeline by the Department of Higher Education for NSFAS students is riddled with fallacies. There is a complete difference between equality, equity and justice. One should not mistake the three by merely providing students with data and lending them gadgets.

EQUALITY

The assumption by the Department of Higher Education is that everyone benefits from the same support the same. Then the solution would be equal treatment which is evident in their umbrella approach only for NSFAS students. 

EQUITY

Here one acknowledges individuals’ challenges. Thereafter provide a pragmatic and targeted solution. Provide all students with the support they need, to create an environment conducive to learning. This is the concept of affirmative action which is missing on the umbrella approach by the Department of Higher Education and institutions of Higher learning.

JUSTICE

You acknowledge that there is a pandemic and inequalities. Therefore, at the center of your solution should be fair treatment of all students. Put in place measures to address both the pandemic and inequalities within the sector. No institution should enjoy an economic competitive advantage and adopt a two tier educational program. 

The pandemic outbreak is felt across the country. Regulations should prohibit predominantly white institutions from leaving black institutions behind. In other words, to clear the air, in a nutshell scrap the academic year. Allow students to start over again the following year when the pandemic outbreak has been curbed and provisions have been made to mitigate the inequalities.

Providing students with data and lending them gadgets only, is far from being a solution. In an unequal society the temporary pragmatic solution can only be through equity and if equity still fails to address the issues concerned justice must prevail.

Pontsho Hlongwane is a LLB Student at Nelson Mandela University and an Activist.