Breakfast Edition: 26 October 2015

MATRIC EXAMS: Today marks day one of the 2015 Matric exams which will see more than half a million matiriculants write English paper one.

The Department of Basic Education says it is ready for the grade 12 exams. Spokesperson for the Department of Education, Elijah Mhlanga has more.

Exams are due to end on 30 November 2015.

UPRISING: Students say that they will continue with the University shutdown because management has given them information that contradicts information making its way through campus. 

Earlier, UPrising students met to discuss issues that were not addressed by the Vice Chancellor.

Some of those issues include exorbitant prices of food in canteens, funding for students who somehow do not qualify for NFSAS as well as academic work in relation to the submission of assignments. 

MEANWHILE, the University of Pretoria has released a statement in light of the decision taken at a meeting with the President and Vice Chancellors on Friday, 23 October 2015. The statement says: 

There will be a 0% fee increment in fees for 2016.

There won’t be a fee increment for undergraduate, postgraduate and international students as well as residence and accommodation fees, meal fees and any initial payments. The University also states it will undertake additional support to financially needy students.

Students who qualify for NSFAS funding, students who submit letters from sponsors, and financially needy students who make the necessary financial arrangements with the University will be allowed to register without paying the initial fee on registration, provided that they meet all other criteria.

In addition, students in financial need who have outstanding residence fees will be considered individually for assistance should they meet all other residence placement criteria. Also, for students in financial need, the application fee will not be payable during 2016 for the 2017 academic year.

Furthermore, the University has substantially increased its own contribution to top up NSFAS funding by an amount of R 20 million, and to make these additional funds available to support poor students in 2016.

The University Management has agreed that, provided students continue to behave responsibly, no persons who participated in the mass protest action will be disciplined by the University or its affiliates.

In order to ensure completion of the year’s academic programme, the University has made a public undertaking that no student will be disadvantaged academically by the changes to the programme. We have agreed to extend the time for the examination period to compensate for time lost during the protest action.

To assist all our students, the lectures, assignment submissions, tests, examinations and other academic activities that have been affected, will be rescheduled. The revised test and examination schedule will be published early this week.

The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) says all academic activity is set to resume today while management meets with the SRC.

Spokesperson for TUT Willa de Ruyter says discussions will focus on the students' remaining concerns while classes continue.

Seven students who were arrested for public violence and being in possession of stolen property on Friday in Pretoria were released yesterday due to insufficient evidence.

Spokesperson for the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of SA (SERI) attorney Kea Thobakgale says they are satisfied with the outcomes even though the students were not meant to be kept in prison for that long.

WATCH: Spectre trailer which will be released next month on 27 November.