Ministry blames DSPW on RTC class boycott

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Friday February 27, 2009 00:00

Principal public relations officer at MoWT, Charles Keikotlhae said that the pre-service sponsored by DPSW are the ones causing problems at the training centre. He explained the main grievance of students is about stationery. 'We have the stationery but we are still waiting for a confirmed list of students that they are sponsoring because they told us that they do not have money therefore instead of sponsoring 53 students that we admitted, they would pay for 43 only,' Keikotlhae said.

He stated that they did not have a list of students to be sponsored when the institution opened in January though they requested it last year. He explained that because they did not know who got the sponsorship, they did not give stationery to all the students sponsored by DPSW who start their first year today.

Keikotlhae dismissed claims by the students that they are being taught by unqualified lecturers. He indicated that they have three instructors with diplomas who are teaching certificate courses. Four lecturers with degrees and one with a Masters teach both certificate and diploma courses. The institution also brings in visiting lecturers.  The deputy Permanent Secretary at MoE, Golekanye Setume said that there was a delay caused by the errors found on the list of students admitted at RTC. 'There were names who were still showing that they were being sponsored in other institutions but they had applied to RTC as if they were fresh from Form Five. So that delayed the process, together with the fact that they admitted 53 students after we had told them that we could only cater for 43,' Setume said. He explained that they went to address the students yesterday and things have been sorted out.

The students have been boycotting classes since Tuesday. They are complaining about not being given stationery.

The in-service students are employees of the government and are given allowances for stationery. But the in-service students sponsored by DSPW did not get the allowance.

The students revealed that they are taught by unqualified lecturers on part-time basis, who are also employees of the MoWT. One of the students explained that most of the part time lecturers are from the University of Botswana (UB).

They say the lecturers usually leave immediately after misunderstandings with the school management only to send the best students from their classes at UB to teach at RTC.

'There is one such lecturer here who is still a student at UB. He teaches students doing certificate. The other one is a fresh diploma graduate who graduated from RTC last December and he is now here teaching us,' one student leader said.

She revealed that they have questioned the quality of teaching by the lecturers only to be told that the management is happy with their academic performance. 'We are not sure what they are talking about because they never come with those lectures to class or they want to tell us they write the material for him?,' she quizzed.

The students have written a letter to the Minister of Works and Transport Johnny Swartz demanding that he attend to their grievances before they can return to class.