Parly probe into cheating institutions dies

Tefo Pheage | Friday March 4, 2016 13:33

Back then, the committee  comprised mostly former teachers: Bagalatia Arone (chairperson), Wynter Mmolotsi, Fidelis Molao, Slumber Tsogwane, Abram Kesupile and Liakat Kablay. Kablay was the only member of the committee who was not a man of letters.

Through that committee, it was agreed that the chairperson should move a motion in the house that “Parliament set up a committee to investigate the private institutions”. This agreement came about when the students uprisings in various institutions were at the pinnacle.

The committee came to this conclusion after learning of problematic governance and compliance issues during their regular visits to some of the institutions. In an interview with Mmegi, Arone, the former chairperson of the committee, which is now led by Thato Kwerepe, a former school head, said he remembers the discussions by members.

“It was agreed that I, the then committee chairperson, move the motion for the establishement of such an enquiry into the private tertiary institutions,” he said. Arone explained that they had learnt that a lot of things were not being done properly in the institutions owing to lax laws and laxity on the part of regulators.

“We had also learnt that there was lack of clarity on some programmes and poor governance in some institutions, most of which we learnt the government was aware of but continued to entertain,” he said. He further said laxity was their worst enemy as the students were the victims of poor education at the end of the day. Arone said one other issue of concern was courses which were found to be a mismatch with the market, but had passed through anyway.

“We had learnt of pathetic and very foreign courses of study in some institutions and we wanted these things amongst many others to be looked into,” he said before adding that these things continue to happen. Arone said leniency on the regulators’ part led to problems.

“They recommend, encourage and go away,” he said. “The perpetrators then sit on the recommendations and encouragements until the regulators come again in the future. This attitude breeds mediocrity in the institutions and halfbaked graduates.” Arone said the motion died a natural death for some reasons he declined to disclose.