On the 04th of October 2019, UMP students will be voting for the new Student Representative Council (SRC). Student Governance and Development Manager, Joseph Mokoatala gives a lowdown of the voting process.
Why is it important for students to vote?
It is the right of every student to vote. Their vote will influence future decisions.
Who can vote?
It is only students that should vote. Staff members are not allowed to vote during the SRC elections, as the UMP we have not come to a level of having staff members who are also students so in that case only students will be allowed to vote.
In addition a student that is allowed to vote is a full-time or part-time student duly registered for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, diploma or certificate approved by the Senate and the Council of the UMP.
This excludes distance education student and those registered for subjects or programmes for non-degree purposes or short courses.
What is the role of the SRC?
The Department of Higher Education and Training Education Act, requires that every institution should have a body that represents the students.
The SRC serves as a conciliator between the students and management, it also serves on various institutional committees. If there is any decision that is taken and affects a students, the SRC would make sure that the learner would be represented right.
How do students cast their votes?
The SRC is compelled to have at least one mass meeting per semester. It is then where students will question the SRC on what they have delivered.
Students are also allowed to request an urgent mass meeting to address the issues that are of concern.