Gov't starves UB, feeds private institutions
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday June 6, 2017 17:22
The PAC learnt through Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Theophilus Mooko that the Government, upon budgetary constraints, asked for the institution to pay for students’ tuition from its reserves and promised to pay back the money. “UB is being starved for the benefit of private institutions. There was a clear budget for UB and procedure is clear that as soon as the ministry has been furnished with an invoice, they have to cross-check and pay.
“What happened to the allocated budget?” Tati East legislator Guma Moyo quizzed. In response Mooko said the Government and the UB council were in talks to rectify the matter. He said the Government had taken a decision that where there are budgetary constraints they would look at the finances of parastatals and those with funds would be asked to spend. Moyo expressed concern that there was no clear plan on how the money owed to UB will be paid. “This is very worrisome. UB is being starved for the benefit of private institutions. That is where the money that was budgeted for UB tuition has been taken to. Government institutions should be given the first priority. Fill all the spaces there before sending students to other institutions,” he said.
In defence, Mooko said UB is not attractive enough, hence its spaces are not filled up. “In the past year, our funding for public institutions was at 56% against 44% of private institutions. Currently it will be 61% and 39% respectively. The University has to improve, re-engineer itself and become attractive to attract more students,” he said. Guma argued that the money diverted elsewhere could be used to revamp the University. However, Mooko dismissed the submission, stating that it does not need money to revamp programmes as the University has staff with quality to do so.
He said UB will revisit a strategy that was drawn in 2008, which he believes will take the institution in the right direction. Specially elected MP Bogolo Kenewendo also expressed concern at the way things are going at UB. She said the University would be crippled by the non-payment of tuition fees while at the same time the Government has significantly cut the subvention given to the institution. Gaborone Bonnington South legislator Ndaba Gaolathe said failure to make payments by the ministry would impair the country’s highest institution of learning. He said it was vital that the ministry does proper budgeting to avoid seeking supplementary budget yearly, as is the case now. Mooko promised that following the division of the ministry, they would be more efficient in terms of budgeting.