DTEF U-turns on recalling students
Baboki Kayawe | Wednesday June 8, 2016 16:23
Earlier this week, it is understood DTEF issued communication recalling all learners attached to organisations outside the city owing to inadequate funds. The decision reportedly affected 3,000 of the estimated total of 5,000 students currently out on attachment. The move disgruntled the student community who argued that the announcement was short notice, and could potentially harm their academic performance given the difficulty of securing ‘on-the-job training’.
Yesterday, affected students hailed the reversal of the decision, saying it had been made imprudently. “We are glad the decision has been reversed. It is very difficult to find a place to do practical learning because most Gaborone-based companies are accommodating people from the National Internship Programme,” said a learner on condition of anonymity.
Another added: “What amazes me is that DTEF knows that every year students go out on professional internship, but this year they decided to act as if they were caught off guard.
“We can’t all secure practical work opportunities in Gaborone given the huge student population.” Learners attached within Gaborone had also been told they were not entitled to attachment allowances despite the fact that some were on-campus dwellers, who had rented out places for their practical learning duration.
UB Student Representative Council president, Bakotedi Mmipi described the DTEF’s original decision as “ill-informed” and “very regressive”.
“We were baffled that the DTEF made a decision on attachments, which is a curriculum requirement, without consulting. This is a non-voluntary exercise and it has to be financed by the sponsor as agreed by the two parties,” Mmipi said. He further said expecting all students to find attachments in Gaborone given the swelling tertiary education population, was an ill-conceived idea.
“Besides, where in Gaborone can a mining engineer student find practical job experience? The same government that wants value for investment in education wanted to see learners spend days in the work place, but without attaining any valuable experience,” he said.
DTEF officials had not responded to Mmegi enquiries on the matter by yesterday afternoon.