SRCs need welfare issues addressed
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Wednesday May 10, 2017 15:01
Speaking during the Minister’s visit at Francistown College of Technical and Vocational Education, Maun Technical College(MTC) SRC president, Mmoloki Bakhandi said that MTC is the most abandoned tertiary school in Botswana as it is rare to see any delegate from Cabinet visiting them.
He also said that the infrastructure of the institution is not in good condition, therefore not conducive for learning. He indicated that the college was built in the 1990s and have never been revamped hence there is a need for the college to be upgraded. “We also have shortage of classrooms, which lead to some of the students using workshops as their base rooms,” he said.
Bakhandi added that MTC refectory is a mess with some pieces of the ceiling collapsing daily.
Botswana Wildlife Training Institute (BWTI) SRC president, Onthusitse Pule said that MTERST should consider increasing the book allowance as it is not enough for purchasing textbooks for different courses in the institution. “We are an institution of science domain and all our major module textbooks cost over P16,000, the cheapest book for minor subjects being close to P3,500,” he said. He added that they can only afford to buy one textbook for the whole semester.
Pule said that the institutional accommodation is inhabitable, which could affect performance by both the lecturers and the students.
He also pleaded with the Minister to respond to allegations of the institution’s closure. One of the attendants and member of the Selebi-Phikwe SRC, Theo Nkwane complained about the quality of food they are fed. “The food that we eat at the institutions is unsavoury. They are unhealthy and unbalanced and we are served in small quantities,” he said.
Nkwane described the institutions as generally not conducive for learning. He added that there is also a shortage of lecturers, especially in the construction and motor vehicle departments. He said that they also have a problem with late release of results stating that they come out in six months or later. Nkwane also expressed concern that some courses like business and secretarial, are not accredited.
He implored the Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA) to release accredited courses to the general public. The SRC vice president of Tonota College of Education, Charles Tapisa expressed concern over the condition of the institution library and shortage of books in the facility. Tapisa added that lack of proper sporting facilities has led to the cancellation of tennis code. When responding to comments and questions from the students, the deputy permanent secretary of MTERST, Oupa Mosesane said that they are not aware of shortage of classrooms in MTC.
He acknowledged that the book allowance is not enough, hence they encouraged colleges to stock textbooks that are relevant to the courses they offer.
Mosesane said that they seriously look into the meals served to students because a balanced diet is important. He also said that they are considering to revamp infrastructure to create a proper learning environment. He said that they are in the process of employing expatriate lecturers to address shortages in the institutions.
He added that all accredited courses in all institutions will be published before the end of this week. For his part, Madigele said that the next academic year programme will be fully accredited before they run. He said that they are going to review the loan grant and allow students to work part time to augment their allowances. Madigele said that they are also going to introduce Government guarantee loans so that parents can share the cost of tertiary sponsorship.