UB MANAGEMENT, DTEF, SRC TO MEET

The University of Botswana (UB) management, the Student Representative Council (SRC) and the Department of Tertiary Education Financing (DTEF) are set to hold a crunch meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) to resolve credit issues in relation to sponsorship.

The set meeting follows a decision by the DTEF to terminate sponsorships of some UB students on account that they fell short of the 50% credit pass required by the department for government sponsorship continuation. It is said that many students were shocked to learn that their sponsorships have been terminated just weeks before the start of the new academic year. The meeting is set to agree on the way forward after the student mass body vehemently rejected the DTEF new stance.

The SRC has threatened to take legal action against DTEF if the department does not back down and rescind its earlier decision. UB SRC president, Carter Joseph said the decision byDTEF has left many students in the lurch and hopeless. However, he said the decision is met with robust opposition by the movement as it is a result of the normalised incompetency that the university’s management and DTEF has become known for.

“The meeting will resolve all this. We expect nothing but the decision to be reversed because it is a result of the poor communication between the university management and DTEF. As such it should not affect the students. The decision is unjust, and if they don’t back down, let me make it clear that we will be taking legal action,” Joseph said. He added that the decision is arbitrary as it was not announced on time and is based on a policy that does not exist in the sponsorship contract entered into between the students and the department. Joseph explained that DTEF has been sponsoring and basing its UB student sponsorship continuation on the academic proceed policies of the university and not the 50% credit pass policy that they now say governs the sponsorship continuity. “Many students wrote their exams with an understanding that their sponsorship continuity depended on the UB academic proceed policy, not this 50% credit pass policy, more so that the communication and timing of the implementation were at short notice,” he added.

Joseph said students had a legitimate expectation that they will continue even if they do not meet the 50% credit pass as it has always been the norm. He said no student will afford to pay for their school fees during these trying times.

This issue comes at a time when DTEF has not yet activated the 2021-2022 sponsorship cycle for new placements. Although the department has not come out clearly on what could have caused the delay, there are allegations that the department is facing serious financial constraints. This has become an attempt to cut down on the number of those who have already received government sponsorship and fund new placements.