UB engineering students boycott exam
CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer
Students in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at the University of Botswana (UB) have petitioned the faculty after going for the whole semester without a lecturer for the Engineering Material course.
According to the Students Representative Council (SRC), the students were astonished to see faces of about seven lecturers two weeks before the examinations rushing through 57 slides in a space of two hours. "This is an insult to our academic life and will impede negatively (sic) on our future. There is no way we can let lecturers trample on our rights to education," the students said in their petition, adding that they only wrote one test during the semester, with no quizzes and poor laboratory sessions.
"It is for this reason that we take a resolution to boycott the exam of the said course if no remedy is provided. The only remedy which will address the pressing issue is to re-offer the same course next semester as it is a pre-requisite to numerous courses, we want to believe that you understand the gravity of this issue," the students said in their petition. The students revealed that FET SRC representative met with the Dean of Faculty on numerous occasions over the issue.
In a written response to the students, the Deputy Dean, Dr Joseph Chuma said that the course would be offered in the second semester of the academic year 2009/10. Efforts to reach the UB on why the students had no lecturer for the whole semester and who will foot their bill next year proved futile yesterday.
The Ministry of Education and Skills Development however recently revealed that they will be tightening the screws on student sponsorships. Earlier this year the students boycotted classes when the ministry stopped sponsoring scholars retaking courses.
