NMMU Vice-Chancellor to take on Inca trail in Peru to assist 160 final year students

15 Jun 2016 | Admin Author

In 2015 he 'conquered' Mount Fuji in Japan, raising a million rand for deserving students at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

This year, vice chancellor, Professor Derek Swartz, will lead a 20-person team on four-day Inca Trail to Machu Pichu in Peru on the next leg of his fund-raising expedition.

NMMU said high profile business people would join Professor Swartz on his quest to raise another R4 million for 160 academically deserving students.

According to a statement Wednesday, Professor Swartz, NMMU Chancellor, Santie Botha, entrepreneur and businesswoman, Dr Bridgette Gasa and 20 others would also be pooling their resources to become part of the solution towards financing of the 160 students.

"My climb is part of this, and every single donation, from a few rand to more, is extremely important because it is about creating a strong culture of giving together for education, and coming together to create a more just and equal society," said Swartz.

The unique fund-raising initiative is part of the institution's bid to address the growing number of students who need financial assistance.NMMU said challenges faced by poor and middle-class students were highlighted during the #FeesMustFall movement last year by university students across the country.

"My view is that no society, no civilization, has ever been successfully built without present generations investing in the education of future generations. As South Africans we must find ways of augmenting our universities' pressurised resources," Swartz added.

NMMU also said it would not only rely on government subsidies to meet the high raise in the number of students.

"While student numbers within higher education continue to rise - from 480 000 in 1995 to almost one million today - government subsidies have not. At NMMU, the number of students has risen from 26 300 in 2015 to 26 911 this year, but the financial support has not risen proportionately".

Swartz and his team will undertake the trip from the 1 to 4 September.