Page 38 - Transformation Report

6. Student Transport

For many years, there was no reliable public transport system With a greater proportion of students living off-campus, the
active in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. The University, student transportation system has been under increased
therefore, needed to strengthen its own student transport pressure. As a result, transport provision has been expanded
model and operations. After completing the student mobility and whilst face-to-face academic sessions were still being
assessment in 2018, the Student and Staff Transportation conducted, the demand for daily student transportation rose
Strategy (SSTS) was developed to alleviate the increased by 30 percent, this equates to 3 348 more students requiring
demand for transport. Central to the operationalisation of this transport. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, many
strategy was the transformation of traditional procurement. academic sessions moved to virtual platforms, thus reducing
By shifting the external service provider contract from the the need for student transport. It is anticipated that with the
current incumbent to the taxi industry in 2019, the University intended migration to blended learning as a permanent
was able to fulfil, in part, its empowerment objectives through feature of future learning and teaching, the demand for
the provision of business development support to the taxi transport will not be as great as in pre-COVID times. This
industry. The taxi industry continued to be the contracted necessitates a reconfiguration of the current operations, to
service provider in respect of the provision of student and be included in considerations relating to the leasing of busses
staff transport in 2020. However, once the University formally and incorporation of the taxi industry.
launches its new mobile strategy, the taxi industry will revert
to providing supplementary transport.

7. Improve Nutrition Status of Students

Opening the doors to learning for all requires that universities vegetable garden was established at Sanlam Student Village
address broader systemic issues such as student nutrition in Summerstrand, which brings the number of vegetable
and food security, access to study materials, transport, gardens at the University to three. Other avenues to address
accommodation, and access to computing devices and this need included a partnership between Karoo Catch and
Wi-Fi connectivity. Student Health Services spearheads the University to provide support in establishing aquaculture
the University’s nutritional programme, which includes and aquaponics production on University campuses, most
distributing fresh produce to indigent students. However, notably Missionvale Campus. By the end of October 2019,
the ongoing student nutrition programme is under strain an additional student nutrition programme was developed in
as the demand exceeds supply with the demand increasing response to about 2 000 students (mainly first-years) whose
substantially across all University campuses. NSFAS allowances were exhausted. To avert a potential
crisis resulting from the NSFAS allowances being exhausted,
To address student nutrition in a more sustainable and the University implemented various fundraising measures
humane manner, Management initiated a joint project with to provide food packs to about 900 affected students.
the SRC to implement their 2018 #MyMandela campaign, During the lockdown in 2020, food parcels continued to be
which included a proposal for establishing a food bank. distributed to needy students who remained in on-campus
The University also assisted with the provision of nutritional accommodation.
support to students when required. During 2018, delays in
the release of Funza Lushaka and NSFAS meal allowances Efforts are underway to expedite the implementation of
resulted in huge demand for food parcels. The University’s an improved catering service that will deliver affordable,
partnership with Tiger Brands enabled the provision of about better-quality meals to the University community. This
1 100 food parcels to students per month. The number of comprehensive solution, developed in collaboration with the
students requiring nutritional support increased significantly Dietetics Department, aims to optimise existing resources,
in 2019. Reports from Student Health Services indicated improve the quality, diversity, and availability of nutritious
that around 4 500 food parcels were issued to indigent food on- and off-campus. By using an integrated ICT system
students per month. This was made possible by sub-dividing to manage end-to-end operations and a user-friendly UX
the sponsored food parcels and complementing these (user experience) interface, food can be sourced from new
with fresh vegetables from the food garden project which suppliers, thereby empowering local entrepreneurs. An
was overseen by Student Health Services. In 2019, a new anticipated long-term outcome of the solution is stimulation

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