ECOT principal not to blame – students
MBABANE – “It is not the principal’s fault.”
These words were articulated by a number of students from Eswatini College of Technology (ECOT), who said they did not blame the Principal, Nomcebo Nhlengetfwa, for the current situation at the college.
The students were speaking during an interview where they were deliberating on delivering a new petition to the college, having delivered the first one on January 10, 2022.
The college is in tatters. Paint is peeling off the walls, window panes are broken, there are blocked drainages and overgrowth, among many other challenges.
The students delivered a petition with nine demands to Nhlengetfwa, including that the institution needed to be reopened for classes within seven days. Some of the demands included that the college needed to be fully opened for face-toface learning.
The students were told to expect a response to their petition in two days, which never happened. It was then that they engaged in a meeting to forge a way forward. In the meeting, the students mentioned that government had to show up and deliver on the promises it made.
“We are here because we want to discuss a way forward for Friday. This is not a threat, but something we will do. We also want the principal to know that we do not blame her for any of ECOT’s woes but want government to take accountability,” said the students.
Another student said the plan was to deliver a new petition to the college and once again make a visit to the Ministry of Education and Training.
Among the grievances raised by the students was the online learning platform. They said online learning was not conducive for some of the students who did courses which were practicaloriented.
They claimed the online learning had been tried in the past, three assignments were sent via WhatsApp which they deemed was not a proper online learning platform for the college to embark on, as there needed to be a portal that was run by the school and was on the school website.
The students said they were still appalled that lecturers were sending assignments and notes via WhatsApp when they had mentioned that they were not all able to access WhatsApp or had smart cellphones. “Just yesterday, we received an assignment through the school group and it was shocking and inconsiderate because the platform is not conducive for all of us,” said the student.
Previously, in response to the petition delivery, the Principal Nomcebo Nhlengetfwa had said they welcomed the petition and the issues raised were pertinent and they did not take them for granted. She said as an institution, they promised to look into all the issues that had been raised and would give them the seriousness that they deserved.
Memo
Worth noting is that, Nhlengetfwa had issued a memo to the students where she had cited the college’s cleanliness, COVID-19, learning concerns and belongings as reasons why students could not return to campus and resume lessons like all other tertiary institutions in the country. She could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) Mbabane Branch Chairperson, Manqoba Dludlu, said government was purposely sabotaging them.
Dludlu emphasised his colleague’s sentiments and said they were not blaming the principal for the collapsing ECOT but government as it was failing to subsidise the college and properly budget for them.
“Yes, ECOT has fallen but we have only the government to blame for that. Government knows very well that they have failed us and they are doing this on purpose. It is a pity that our future is being wasted,” he said.
In addition, he said the principal and administration had not yet responded to them.
Dludlu said they used the college’s telephone numbers to contact her but they have not been able to reach her.
Dludlu further confirmed that they had planned to visit the administration on Friday to formally check on the response by the administration. Dludlu said it had been a week since they delivered their petition and nothing had changed.