Returning Ukraine students from SA launch 'Save our Studies' campaign
Some South African students who have managed to return home from Ukraine are urging the government to help integrate them into institutions here so they can continue with their studies.
Their academic life in the European country came to an abrupt halt when Russia invaded last month.
Amir Patel was able to leave days before the war broke out.
"Our students are not going to go back to a war-torn country. They are too traumatised to even think of going back over there to continue their studies," says Patel.
The third-year medical student says their future is looking bleak as they are not guaranteed spots at South African universities.
He and six others have launched the Save our Studies campaign in the hope of securing academic studies.
"We are gutted and disappointed at our current situation that we find ourselves in. The war has ravished our hopes of a tertiary education and we have nowhere to turn to besides our very own government and institutions.
READ: 10 SA students return from Ukraine, more on the way
"We have students that were a couple of months away from graduating but are now returning home to uncertainty; hence we are hoping that we open up dialogues and engage with the institutions and Department of Higher Education and HPCSA (The Health Professions Council of South Africa) because the majority of these students are medical students."
CEO of Universities South Africa Professor Ahmed Bawa says it's a challenging situation.
He's advised the students to engage with the various universities.
"The universities in South Africa, of course, are just in the process of completing their registration for 2022 and I think for the students who are mainly medical students, there'll have to be some kind of engagement with the Deans of the medical schools to try and understand how best to manage the completion of those students who are very close to completion."
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