ABM University College students left in the lurch

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Thursday August 23, 2012 00:00

 

Frantic parents who spoke to Mmegi this week said their children, who were admitted to the school in March, were scheduled to start school at the Gaborone campus this month. They say this past week, the school informed them about their decision to transfer students to the Francistown campus, days before classes were scheduled to start.Classes in the Gaborone campus started yesterday, while they are scheduled to start on August 28th in Francistown. Students at the Francistown campus are expected to be taken for orientation today.  One parent who spoke to Mmegi, on condition of anonymity, said she was dismayed to learn of the school's decision, as she had already looked for and paid for her child's accommodation in Gaborone. Neither the Francistown nor Gaborone campus offers on-campus accommodation for students.

'I now have to go to Francistown to look for accommodation there, and it is already late,' she said.  She said the school had not given them a reason for their unceremonious decision, but speculated that they might have admitted too many students, resulting in overcrowding in their Gaborone campus. She was also unhappy that the school opens later than all other tertiary schools, saying that this leaves parents with no option of taking their children to alternative schools. She said officials from the college told her that they have engaged area Members of Parliament Tshelang Masisi and Wnyter Mmolotsi to assist parents in looking for accommodation for their children. Masisi could not be reached as his cellphone was off.Mmolotsi was surprised when reached for comment on Tuesday.  He said it was absurd that he could assist in the search for students' accommodation, as he does not work for ABM College. He added that the school has not contacted him, but he is aware of the situation as some students have reported to his office.

'What I know is that students were admitted to the Gaborone campus, and then transferred here without prior consultation. As far as I am concerned that is wrong, and I am told this is not the first time this has happened.  I am going take this up with the relevant ministry officials,' he said. Reached for comment yesterday, director of Department of Tertiary Education Financing (DTEF) Marcos Maedza said he was aware that ABM College had transferred students to Francistown. He said that their sponsorship contracts with students do take specific campuses into consideration, and that in cases of transfers, the students have to come back to them and instruct them about the changes to be made to their contracts.

He said while he has received a number of students who do not want to go to Francistown, his office had, by yesterday morning, not received any requests from students to change their sponsorship contracts to reflect the transfers to Francistown.Efforts to reach Daisy Molefhi, excutive director of the college were unsuccessful, while Mmilili Kenneth, the college's public relations officer, said the college was not ready to comment on the issue.