UB freshers begin class next week

University of Botswana ( UB), the country’s biggest institute of higher learning, remains hopeful that their first year students in different fields will start classes next Monday September 27. UB and almost all tertiary institutions both government and privately- owned were forced to start their respective semesters at least three weeks later due to the faulty online registration used for the first time by all tertiary students seeking government loans from the Department of Tertiary Education Funding ( DTEF). Confirming this unfortunate and unusual move, UB Vice Chancellor Professor Davis Norris said by last week Wednesday, they were almost at midpoint in the number of first year students that they are expecting to receive.

“Currently we have over 2500 registered and we expect about 5000 students,” Norris said. He said the latest from DTEF is that they are still working on the system as it is still experiencing challenges. This means that it is unlikely that the university will start classes this week, after failing to start on the initial date of the 6th September, even for returning students, who eventually managed to start classes on September 13. Norris said they had hoped that first year students would have received scholarship letters from DTEF for them to start on September 13 as well. In the event that DTEF resolves the system challenges, communication will be made to all students. Norris said the University will only be left with 11 weeks before the end of the year, and teaching for first year students will continue into January in order to complete the first semester, which may need an extra two or three weeks. “Certainly without a doubt, first year students will not complete the first semester in 2021 as was envisaged.” Norris however said despite the inconvenience they will be able to catch up to ensure that students will have 14 weeks of teaching, as per semester statutes. This also means that the second semester will start later than normal either in June instead of 13th of May 2022. In an interview the Vice Chancellor of Botswana International University of Science and Technology ( BIUST), Professor Otlogetswe Totolo confirmed that their 475 students also started classes late. The DTEF system glitch has undoubtedly retarded the progress made by BIUST over the years to operate in sync with their sister university - UB. Totolo said the crisis means that “our semester will be behind by at least two weeks and we need to continue working hard without compromising anything”.