We, the students in South Africa have come together in the interest of all students academically engaged in this country, have noted the need for the establishment of a United Democratic Students’ Movement (herein after referred to as UDESMO or the Movement).
We cherish and believe in total democracy, human dignity and equality of all people before the law irrespective of race, colour, gender, religion, disability or ability, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.
We believe in co-operative leadership.We will work from the basic principle that our challenges are enormous, and our individual fates intertwined. Only a highly focused joint effort by all stake-holders and communities, will guarantee our survival and ultimate success.
We are therefore determined to develop and assist all students to achieve academic excellence, to encourage students to practice cultural diversity, in our academic institutions, and to encourage students to respect our democratic society based on freedom, equality and human dignity as outlined by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
The aims and objectives of UDESMO are:
- to advocate and promote the rights of students.
- to preserve, promote, deepen and widen multiparty democracy as envisaged in the founding provisions of our national constitution.
- to seek the formation of a new social partnership of all students in South Africa and of all our communities.
- to strive as students towards the transformation of education in South Africa.
- to take up the lead in the demands made by our students be they social, political, economic an/or educational.
- to serve as the voice for student communities, nationally or internationally as well as on campus.
- encourage other students and parties to embrace us, to join us in our mission and forge links with other bodies of various educational institutions that are working towards similar aims and objectives.