Hikuama appeals for calm as DDT College students strike
Larona Makhaiza | Monday July 28, 2025 10:59
Earlier today, DDT college students staged a protest outside the school's premises to raise their frustrations with the institution’s administration. For months now, students and management of DDT have been entangled in issues ranging from the accreditation status of the school and its programmes.
As the issue remains unresolved between the two parties, Botswana Qualification Authority (BQA), Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), and the Ministry of Higher Education have since revoked the accreditation of DDT because the institution does not meet the requirements to offer accredited qualifications.
DDT has since appealed the decision by BQA at the High Court to stop the revocation of its accreditation status, but the case is still ongoing. However, frustrated students whose future hangs by a thread have gone on strike and submitted a petition seeking an intervention on the status of the school and its unaccredited programmes.
In their petition read out by Hikuama in Parliament, who is also Botswana Congress Party's shadow Minister of Education, the students raised the frustrations that they face uncertainty with their future. “Graduates are trapped in an unaccredited institution, paying fees for worthless education. Their degrees will not be recognized, leaving them ineligible for jobs or further education,” the petition read.
In order to mitigate this insurmountable challenge, the students are seeking that the National Assembly intervene and assist them as their cries are falling on deaf ears. “I pray this assembly intervene immediately to ensure the revocation of the DDT College of Medicine accreditation on June 10, 2025, and cause the college to cease operations pending its appeal of the revocation at the Ministerial Appeals Committee to safeguard students from graduating with unaccredited qualifications,” Hikuama said.
The petition further states that, “Make a special dispensation for all the DDT students to be transferred to BQA accredited and recognized institutions both locally and regionally,” he said. “That the Department of Tertiary Education Financing (DTEF), facilitate all transfers and continue sponsoring students at the respective universities that they are admitted to”.
Additionally, the students seek that they be guaranteed clinical rotations in government hospitals and that all students with invalid degrees be compensated to correct the injustice.
Lastly, students seek an intervention that there should be reform of private education and combating the surge of unaccredited colleges in Botswana. Though Hikuama before Parliament put the presented the petition, the students are losing their cool as they staged a protest to seek immediate results regarding their petition.
With members of the Botswana Police Service ascending at the institution, Hikuama rushed to the scene to plead with students to exercise patience and wait for the matter to be resolved before they take riot route. He stressed that their issues cannot be solved through a strike with management, as the issues are beyond them.
“The solution is beyond them, and you have to bear with them, as this solution is not confined to them. So please give us that space as we can't seek a solution without relevant stakeholders,” he said.
He added, “Let's give the relevant people the opportunity and chance to resolve the matter, and we will engage the minister.' Pressed for a time frame for the turnover by the students, he said, probably by next week, students will be given feedback on the way forward surrounding their issues.
For his part, the vice chancellor of DDT, Ogorogile Mokate, simply said, “We are working on it”.