Gift Admitted At UB

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Monday August 2, 2010 00:00

 

His publicised predicament has helped many other students who were in a similar situation when MoE decided to extend assistance to them as well last Wednesday.

'I am very happy and I can now sleep soundly at night knowing that I will also be going to the university this year,' says Vincent. 'I am indebted to Mmegi.'

However, Nomsah Zuze of MoE's public relation unit has warned that successfully assisting Vincent to submit his application after the deadline is not a guarantee that he will be granted sponsorship to study at the University of Botswana.  'All those who had been given admission letters to UB are being assisted after our closing date, which was July 9,' Zuze said.  Vincent had earlier blamed lack of information for his failure to meet the deadline for sponsorship applications.

Vincent, an orphan from Mathangwane, west of Francistown, garnered 44 points in his 2009 Botswana Government Certificate in Secondary Education, while studying at Mater Spey said a meeting with his friend who has been admitted at the UB sent him in a panic.  Briefing Parliament last week, Education Minister, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, revealed that after meeting with the UB to reconcile the figures of students who have been admitted and submitted applications for sponsorship, they have decided to sponsor all students who submitted applications. 

She stated that as at July 9, 2010 a total of 3,519 applications for sponsorship had been received by the Department of Tertiary Education Financing against the targeted 3,462 applications.

'I am aware that some students did not meet the deadline for submission of applications for sponsorship. I am therefore of the view that it is only fair for those who submitted on time to be considered first,' she said adding that the department will continue to issue sponsorship letters.