IHS students decry inaction on complaints

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Thursday February 14, 2008 00:00

'It seems like the SRC is not recognised. Our complaints are not taken seriously. They take their time to respond to the issues that we raise,' he says. 

'When students complain, we take their grievances to the management but no action is taken. It is like the SRC is a tool which is not effective,' says Dennis.

He says they are trying their best to maintain a good relationship with the management. 

'We are trying our best to be patient,' says the student leader. The SRC has complained about dilapidated hostels and the ablution facilities that are not functioning properly. The buildings are old and need to be renovated. Even the water pipes are bursting but they are never attended to, he added. He said there is also no hot water at the institute.  

The SRC official said at times food runs out. He added that the quality of the food that they are served is also not up to scratch.

Dennis also complained about the lack of sports facilities. Another student, Ricardo Setshego, who used to be minister of refectory, said he quit his post because not much was done by the management to attend to the students' welfare.

He said the situation was so terrible that at some stage there was shortage of pots in the kitchen. Setshego said when they appealed to the management, they were always promised that something would be done.

He reflected that due to the terrible conditions, they embarked on a food boycott last year. 'If there was an off campus allowance, we could not stay here. There is no warm water. If you want warm water, you have to warm it for yourself,' he said.

But he is optimistic that things might improve since there is a new principal. The principal, Slyvia Tumelo said they work closely with the SRC. She described the SRC as an integral component of the institute.

'We can't function without the SRC. They are our advisors as far as the students' welfare is concerned. There is no how we can function without the SRC'.

Tumelo conceded that the hostels at the institute are very old and there are certain things which need to be fixed.

'We are aware of these problems and we are also concerned. We are looking forward to a time when there would be a complete refurbishment of this institute,' she said. 

The principal said efforts are being made to renovate the old structures. However, she said, implementation of this project can only be done by the Department of Buildings and Engineering Services (DEBS) and this is why there is always a delay.

But she said in the past they had sourced funding to do minor repairs. Tumelo said DEBS has informed them that they are about to start the tendering process for the maintenance of the institute.

Tumelo said she is also aware that there is no hot water in the institute. She said this was caused by a technical fault in their geyser. Tumelo, who acknowledged that it would be an unpleasant situation to live without warm water, said the fault was being attended to.

She said they have been trying to find out what could be causing the shortage of food. 'We agreed that we should tighten the use of coupons'.

The deputy principal, Elina Ntema, said no student could be turned away without eating anything when there was a shortage. She said the kitchen staff has been instructed to prepare something for students when there was a shortage. 

Meanwhile, Tumelo also defended the banning of alcohol at the institute. She said the ban is not imposed in Gaborone only but in all the health training institutes in the country.

'Basically we are building professionals here. You can't train somebody in a certain manner and expect him or her to be something else once they complete their training.

'It is not about punishing anybody. We are trying to build professionals. We have to protect the image of the profession,' she said. Ntema spoke strongly in support of the alcohol ban. 'We can't negotiate issues of alcohol in this institute,' she said.