Educationists should interrogate DTEF decision

| Thursday May 30, 2013 00:00

The reason for this draconian action according to Maedza is that the practice contributes to high failure rates at local tertiary institutions. He said that working while on DTEF scholarship adversely affects students' performance.'This (employment) leads to students failing and dropping out of classes because they give only part of their time to studies,' Maedza explained. He added that the concerned students return later, seeking reinstatement. He claimed that they have identified 60 students who have been working while on government sponsorship in the last six months.  Maedza said education has become a part-time effort for students who are working; something the department is strongly against. He would not divulge how DTEF discovers that a student is employed.  'I wont disclose that because those implicated will use it as ammunition,' he explained.

We admit that there are pros and cons in the issues raised by DTEF. It can be stressful for fulltime students to work. In some cases, the students will choose money over studies. Some students are likely to fail to strike a balance between their work and studies. We cannot close our eyes to the reality around us. We live in a capitalist world and employers are after profits and do not care much about the welfare of the employees. The part-time employees are some of the most exploited at the workplace. They work overtime without any meaningful reward at the end of the day. This is a reality and the government should act to protect the people from capitalist sharks.Not that the government itself is clean when it comes to exploiting workers, especially part-time ones.

However, there are some positives in students doing part-time jobs. It can be argued that working can contribute significantly to one's personal development. There is professional competition in the workplace and this is likely to enhance a student's success. Managing to make it big in the working world boosts students' confidence.  In Botswana where the government has unilaterally decreased students' allowances, part-time jobs come as a relief to students. A majority of parents cannot afford to support their students financially and the government is increasingly becoming stingy. The obvious choice is for students to seek jobs. We do not want to dismiss Maedza's concerns or agree with him without any study to interrogate the issue. Maybe the educationists can provide a lasting solution to the problem the DTEF is concerned about.

                                                     Today's thought

                 'You have a part-time job and that's better than no job at all.'

                                                    -Dan Quayle