GTC, other college students win progression fight
Baboki Kayawe | Wednesday June 28, 2017 17:21
The students, represented by the Student Representative Council (SRC) have written to the ministry on numerous occasions querying the decision. Last year, the construction and electrical engineering students under the City and Guilds programmes paid for their examination fee in July, but the institution did not book them for the final exams pending this issue.
“The programme takes two-and-a-half years, but along the way we were told it is no longer a diploma programme,” one of the concerned student told Mmegi.
The latest communication the student had with the ministry as a request to progress to diploma level was dated April 3, 2017.
However, the deputy permanent secretary recently wrote to the SRC announcing a decision “to progress all qualifying students in these programmes to Diploma level”.
“Following numerous challenges faced by students doing City and Guilds level programmes, more especially Electrical, Electronics and Construction courses at Gaborone Technical College (GTC) , the ministry is happy to inform you that a decision has been made to progress all qualifying students…”, wrote Oupa Mosesane.
He said the decision would enable them to register with the Engineering Registration Board and practice as Electricians. Mosesane further said the dispensation is extended to all students in similar situations from other tertiary education institutions and all students who graduated in the previous year,” he further noted.
“The Department of Teacher Training and Technical Education will facilitate the progression process and inform candidates accordingly,” Mosesane said.
However, at the moment it remains unclear whether their programmes of study would be extend or not - a decision the SRC has called costly and a huge inconvenience.