Deepening The Role of Student Parliaments by Lindokuhle Mponco

In the previous article I discussed the State of Student Parliaments and their role in the development of student activism. This article is inspired by my election into the University of Fort Hare Institutional Students' Parliament Secretariat, and seeks to delve deeper on the role of Student Parliaments in general. I will discuss on why we should deepen the role of Student Parliaments, how can we deepen the role of Student Parliaments, and what is to be done to deepen their role in Student activist spaces.

Why we should deepen the role of SPs?

As discussed previously, Student Parliaments are spaces of Student Activism. They are a space where all societies, SRC & its sub-structures, and political organisations gather under one roof to shape and define the policies that govern students. This is the hotspot for activism through legislative and policymaking means. We have discovered that this space is also a space for political jockeying and position mongering due to the degenerate state of student politics in general. Student Parliaments need to be revived with the intention of preparing the students in the sector for the coming tide of discontent.

It is not a lie that in the sector of Higher Education and Training we have problems that are deeply rooted in the systematic design of our State. These problems are predicated from our not so distant colonial past. Education in South Africa has always had a colonial character, which has ultimately determined the class character of our country. It is one of the reasons why we have an underrepesentation of black professionals in the labour market. According to Statistics South Africa, white professionals with the same skill set and experience get paid four times more than their black counterparts. 

The World Bank review of 2021/22 also came to a round conclusion that the inequality in South Africa is largley determined by the racial character of the economy. This economy did not automatically assume that character without the education sector being distorted to lay the foundation for such outcomes. The reason why the working class in South Africa still mirrors that of the not so distant apartheid past is due to the neoliberal posture which was adopted by the ANC government. This neoliberal posture also played a role in shaping the Higher Education Sector we have today. The phenomena of the 'missing middle' in modern South Africa is a product of the neoliberal posture. Student Parliaments ought to internalise such before venturing into policymaking and constitutional amendments. 

Student Parliaments need to redefine their role and deepen it by understanding that the Higher Education question cannot be delinked from the Class question in South Africa. Education much like the economy is a class struggle due to how it produces and reproduces the class antagonisms. A bourgeoisie would not exist without education (not limited to education I might add), similar to how a proletariat would not exist without education (also not limited to education). The current Constitutional Review process at the University of Fort Hare is unfolding after delays caused by the instability that existed before in the Secretariat. This process should thoroughly reflect on such, and I am proud to say the proposed amendments are starting to reflect such. The understanding of what the Student Parliament should be is starting to reach mass consciousness due to the tireless efforts of the SP Secretariat (both at a Campus and Institutional level) to democratize this process. It is only through a relentlessly democratic and revolutionary process that we can deepen the role of Student Parliaments. We must deepen their role because of the worsening material conditions. These material conditions are predicated from the capitalist system which has commodified education and ultimately the institutions that offer such, and has made them a bourgeois factory.

How can we deepen the role of SPs?

We can deepen the role of Student Parliaments by consciously embarking on a process of review and redefinition. As the University of Fort Hare we have embarked on a Constitutional Review process consistent with the theme 'Decade of Renewal'. We have embarked on this process to renew student activism by redefining the role of Student Parliaments amongst many other institutions and organs that need to be renewed. The Higher Education Act 101 of 1997 recognises SRCs as organs of student representation but is silent on Student Parliaments. Our process of renewal and review must be honest about this, but in our honesty we must look for gaps in the system. We understand that no executive organ of representation can exist without accounting to any other body unless that organ exists to dictate. 

It is on this basis that we must begin as Student Parliaments across the country to petition that the Higher Education act be amended to also include Student Parliaments as organs of holding the SRC accountable. It would be dishonest of us to continue with this process without factoring that reality. Student Parliaments ought to be fighting organs, and should ultimately develop sharp teeth that will bite when the Management tries to stifle student activism. Student Parliaments ought to embark on a deliberately revolutionary Constitutional Review process which will not be inflitrated by class forces that seek to depoliticise Student Parliaments and ultimately SRCs. We need to define our Parliaments in a way that will be consistent with the revolutionary traditions of our liberation struggle. 

I have observed that Parliaments operate on the basis of a liberal bourgeois outlook which drives reform over revolution. The type of problems we have in our sector require radical changes, which could potentially have widespread impact in broader society. As I have said earlier, education is a class struggle much like wage inequality is. Student Parliamentarians need to understand that parliaments are class organs, and as things stand they represent the aspirations of the ruling capitalist class. We need to deepen that role and ensure that they exist to represent the aspirations of the oppressed working class and peasantry. Universities like Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu University are dominated by students which come from peasantry and working class backgrounds. Therefore, their parliaments ought to represent those aspirations by ensuring that parliaments champion slogans and policies that seek to advance the interests of the working class and the peasantry.

What is to be done?

We need to do the following in order for us to deepen the role of Student Parliaments in the sector:

1. Convene an All-South African Students' Congress to form two houses of Parliament which will focus on Universities and TVETs.

2. Form an All-South African Students' Parliament Forum to coordinate the build up to forming a unitary structure of all Student Parliaments across the Sector. 

3. Intiate a campaign that will link the struggle against commodified education with that of the struggle against capitalism.

4. Intiate a consciousness campaign which will educate and raise awareness about the role of Student Parliaments.

5. Intiate a nationwide campaign which will propose the amendment of the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997 to include Student Parliaments.

6. Create a forum which will link the trade union movement, All-South African Students' Congress, SAUS, SAVETSA, and political organisations within the sector (Leftist organisations in particular) and political parties represented in the National Assembly (Leftist organisations in particular) to combat the exploitation of labour and students not only in the sector, but across the country.

If we take these steps, we will not only embark on a genuinely revolutionary process to renew student activism, but we will also be part of a broader revolutionary movement which shall overthrow the capitalist order. Lenin once said that our unity must be genuine. However, we must not unite with elements that oppose and distort Marxism. We must unite with those that will commit themselves to a programme that seeks to realise a society that is built on the foundations of Scientific Socialism!