BCP plans mass demo over BIUST

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Wednesday December 8, 2010 00:00

 

BCP spokesman Taolo Lucas said yesterday that the demonstration will start from the Palapye bus rank. The BCP top brass, led by party president and Gaborone Central MP, Dumelang Saleshando will participate in the demonstration. After the demo, Saleshando is expected to address a rally together with officials from teachers' unions.

The BCP youth have hailed party councillors for deciding to skip council proceedings today to attend the mass demonstration. The youth are happy that the councillors have chosen to join the demonstration and forego the allowances they would have earned for attending council meetings. 

Lucas said the march is very important in that it touches on a significant sector. 'The BCP demands that BIUST should continue as originally conceived because its mission of transforming Botswana from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy remains relevant,' he stated. 

He dismissed the argument that BIUST is being scaled down because of financial reasons as preposterous.

'The BCP believes that the problem facing Botswana today is not necessarily lack of resources. The ruling BDP has got its priorities totally wrong. Under President Ian Khama, security and other pet projects have superseded education in terms of priorities,' he said.

He added that for Botswana to be competitive, education must be given the priority it deserves. He said the government must re-prioritise the provision of quality education. He said there must be increased investment in providing education infrastructure, maintenance of existing schools and due recognition be accorded to the welfare of teachers.

Lucas said the argument that the university may not get sufficient numbers of science students is unconvincing.

He said the number of science students that continue to be trained outside the country at high cost is high.

'The government must also be reminded that as an international university of science and technology, BIUST would attract foreign students, which renders sterile the argument about shortage of students.

The BDP government must apologise to Batswana in general and the residents of Palapye and surrounding areas in particular, for causing anxiety over a project that they have patiently waited for since 2005,' he said.