The reason for this draconian action according to Maedza is that the practice contributes to high failure rates at local tertiary institutions. He said that working while on DTEF scholarship adversely affects students' performance."This (employment) leads to students failing and dropping out of classes because they give only part of their time to studies," Maedza explained. He added that the concerned students return later, seeking reinstatement. He claimed that they have identified 60 students who have been working while on government sponsorship in the last six months. Maedza said education has become a part-time effort for students who are working; something the department is strongly against. He would not divulge how DTEF discovers that a student is employed. "I wont disclose that because those implicated will use it as ammunition," he explained.
We admit that there are pros and cons in the issues raised by DTEF. It can be stressful for fulltime students to work. In some cases, the students will choose money over studies. Some students are likely to fail to strike a balance between their work and studies. We cannot close our eyes to the reality around us. We live in a capitalist world and employers are after profits and do not care much about the welfare of the employees. The part-time employees are some of the most exploited at the workplace. They work overtime without any meaningful reward at the end of the day. This is a reality and the government should act to protect the people from capitalist sharks.Not that the government itself is clean when it comes to exploiting workers, especially part-time ones.
