UB to phase out Centre for Continuing Education?

Oarabile Mosikare | Wednesday August 27, 2014 15:44

This was disclosed in a letter dated July 10, 2014 addressed to the deputy vice chancellor (Academic Affairs) Professor Otlogetswe Totolo, written by William Sentshebeng, the organising secretary of University of Botswana Academic and Senior Support Staff Union (UBASSSU).

Sentshebeng said over the past three years, UB management has displayed the inclination to undermine the capacity of the CCE in discharging its mandate. This, he states, has been indicated by several decisions and courses of action undertaken in relation to the operations of the centre.

Sentshebeng said firstly, this was also demonstrated by the freezing of the CCE programmes like Bachelor of Arts in Library and Information Studies, Master of Project Management, Bachelor of Education (Primary) by distance-route and the flexi mode of the Master of Education, over the years.

He further said these actions were also demonstrated by failure to replace staff who resigned from CCE and placing staff on prolonged acting status in positions of Heads Department and Director of the Centre for Continuing Education over the past five years.

He said these actions were the subject of a staff grievance letter addressed to vice chancellor Professor Thabo Fako in November 2012. The letter was ignored and the grievances never addressed.

“We contend that the ‘transfer/redeployment’ of staff is being done without due consultation, because management is intent on deftly disguising what is in fact an enigmatic restructuring process.

This is an exercise in bad faith by management which has at one point in the past declared some CCE positions redundant, and later revisiting through memos to say they were frozen.

Management has failed to honestly and openly seek to articulate the nature of the problems or challenges (if any), and prospect presenting at CCE.  By not consulting and soliciting the views of the affected CCE staff, management does not appreciate the material and professional interests of staff,” reads part of the letter.

The union leader said the problems besetting CCE emanate from lack of vision, leadership paralysis and a narrow understanding of the fields of continuing and distance education and lifelong learning. They also said they demonstrated lack of transparent leadership in dealing with organisational, pedagogical and labour relations issues.

“Above all, good and effective, inspiring leaders are those who do not have a penchant or proclivity for deliberately poisoning industrial relations in the organisations that they lead.”

The union also said the assault on the CCE has needlessly created a ‘dispute of right’ that could have been averted if management didn’t have a hidden agenda to close down the CCE through channels that circumvent due process of law and the UB’s internal processes.

In conclusion the union demanded that the management treat CCE staff with the equity deserved by all employees in the service of the UB.  Totolo has not yet responded to the UBASSSU letter.