Nkate warns students

KAGISO SEKOKONYANE
Staff Writer | Friday April 25, 2008 00:00

 

He said any student who vandalises school property or terrorises others in schools will be dealt with accordingly. He stressed that they will not hesitate to take action against any student found to have gone against the rules. He said the so-called 'treatment' in schools should come to an end.

Nkate was responding to a parliamentary question on the crisis at Moeding College where students even went to the extent of shaving colleagues' private parts.

The minister said the events at the school started as a form of 'treatment' on Form Fours but it turned nasty, violent and destructive.

As a result, three students have been expelled. Nkate said though the situation has reverted back to normal at the school, they are keeping a close watch. He asserted that measures are being put in place to deal with problems in schools. One is the introduction of the Emotional Intelligence Training Programme, which was launched recently. The other is Pastoral Studies.

Nkate indicated that lately, they have encountered many student boycotts. He said they have resolved some of the issues amicably. He said the problem arises when students  boycott classes even before their grievances can be addressed. He said the Gaborone Technical College crisis got out of hand and resulted in closure.

He explained that allowances for students studying abroad differ from one country to another depending on the cost of living. He said the allowances are reviewed on a regular basis. He added that there have been complaints from students in Cape Town.

The students feel that their allowances should not be equated to those studying in other places in South Africa since the cost of living is very high in Cape Town. Nkate  made a commitment to increase living allowances for students in Cape Town.