Oodi College students report �course mismanagement�
Baboki Kayawe | Tuesday June 14, 2016 15:41
In a letter addressed to the education permanent secretary, Theophilus Mooko as well as a complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman, the learners contend that their Multimedia Studies programme has not equipped them with the needed skills to be market competitive because they are being forced to vacate the institution before course completion.
The 22 learners are querying the programme duration, which they allege has been shortened resulting in three modules left outstanding. They further complain about the competence of the academic staff engaged by the college.
The students said the school management maintained that the 18-month course was complete and they had to vacate school premises.
The students have since vacated the school premises.
“We have long complained so we call for the intervention in the Ministry of Education,” reads the letter. “We went for work placement on March 1, 2016 without completing other modules.
“We knew that when we complete the work placement, we would be given at least two weeks of accommodation and food in the school premises to allow us to complete the remaining modules.
The outstanding modules, the learners argue, were not completed before the work placement due to issues with the competency of a lecturer, insufficient time allocated and other factors.
“We were assigned a lecturer who was not competent. We felt the lecturer did not know a single learning outcome of the module. We all struggled with the course until we were enlightened by another lecturer.
“Moreover, another course was to be taken for fours months, but only two weeks were allocated for it, which was not enough for that critical component of our studies in which they were expected to do final projects.
“We are treated and addressed as nobodies as they say we are no longer OCAAT students, but we are supposed to still be schooling.”
The students’ programme commenced in September 2014, but they argue that delays in their academic timetable coupled with shortage of lecturers for some modules, meant that necessary components of the qualification were left behind while others were allocated inadequate time.
Comments from OCAAT authorities and the ministry of education were unavailable at the time of going to press.
OCAAT opened its doors in 2012 with a mandate to drive economic diversification, sustainability and jobs, and promote entrepreneurship leading to poverty alleviation.