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COVID-19: SASCO rejects forced vaccinations in universities [watch]
The South African Students Congress (SASCO) says it is against forced COVID-19 vaccinations and students should have freedom of choice.
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A leading SASCO member has said that forcing students to take COVID-19 vaccinations would be unfair in the nation’s higher education institutions. The student body says it is not against vaccines, but the plea to university managers is to first engage students before making the jabs obligatory.
Speaking on eNCA’s live TV broadcast, SASCO Deputy President Buyile Matiwane simply said the obligation would be unfair.
Matiwane said SASCO is aware that some students may agree to the decision to take jabs, but university management bodies should ensure that students should be allowed to exercise their freedom to decide for themselves.
LEADING SASCO MEMBER SAYS FORCED VACCINATIONS WOULD BE UNFAIR
SASCO is suggesting that the universities are undermining the students as independent thinkers. SASCO believes that students have the ability to be rational in the collective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It would definitely be unfair. We know that interactive and classroom learning has many benefits. So barring someone to access that would be extremely unfair [to those who’d refuse mandatory vaccinations].
SASCO DEMANDS UNIVERSITY LEADERS TO FIRST ENGAGE STUDENTS
The deputy president added that universities should have open engagement before forcing mandatory vaccinations. The student body is calling for an open discussion about the benefits and negative effects of getting vaccinations.
The deputy president continued: “We think that students in their nature should be reasonable actors, and we must appeal to that reasoning. We should not make getting vaccinations mandatory. It would be taking away their agency to make a choice. We must be innovators, we must not be lazy thinkers.”
“University managers must not be lazy to comprehensively and intellectually engage students on why they should be getting vaccinations on obligation. They should outline the benefits and underlying symptoms of getting vaccinations. They should address those issues.”
“Students will go out and get vaccinations if you appeal to their consciousness,” Matiwane concluded.
