The Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture has condemned students who disrupted exams at the University of Cape Town.
In a video, students can be seen flipping papers in the exam hall while other students are writing exams.
UCT has since confirmed that a 37-year-old has been arrested on charges of intimidation, malicious damage to property and trespassing.
Committee chairperson, Elleck Nchabeleng, said the incident should be condemned by all.
“It is worrying that a group of few students could hold hostage a full exam hall and cause it to be evacuated and the exams stopped.
“Writing examinations is a personal choice that all students should be allowed to exercise whether or not there is the dissatisfaction of some students. Many students do not have the luxury of time to be compromised and to be writing repeat exams. There is only so much time in a semester and that should be respected and observed,” Nchabeleng stated.
He added that perpetrators of the incident should be held accountable as that kind of behaviour has no place in universities and certainly should not be expected of a university student.
Nchabeleng said the institution and student leadership should have mechanisms in place to engage if there are issues to be ironed.
UCT exams disrupted. Why did security not act? @UCT_news https://t.co/quDXCzOgYb pic.twitter.com/zMiNLuK4id
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) June 7, 2022
“Reality is that many of our universities host a number of students who maybe from outside Cape Town, and such conduct compromises their plans,” he said.
UCT said comprehensive support has been offered to the affected students and it will continue to do all that it can to assist staff and students impacted the disruptions.
IOL