Parents of Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) students have teamed up to petition Minister of Education who is also the Vice President, Mokgweetsi Masisi over the controversy surrounding the University. Over 50 parents met Thursday in Gaborone unhappy that there has not been any official communication from BUIST to explain the status of the school and why their children are still at home.
“We rely on media reports and the students themselves as our children on issues that surround the University. We expect to get a statement on the status of the University from BIUST,” one of the parent said. Parents complained that BIUST was silent about the goings on at the university. “Recently the Vice Chancellor resigned and we learnt that through the media; as parents of students who are supposed to be schooling at the University we were kept in the dark about these issues.
All what we know is that students are home,” he said. After reading about the former Vice Chancellor Hillary Iyang’s complaints in his resignation letter parents say nobody came forth from the University to clarify the letter and how the University intends to deal with challenges raised by the former Vice Chancellor. “We are parents on a mission to seek answers; obviously we are pressed for time because as we speak the students are at home. We would like to see them back in classes as soon as possible, as parents we analysed the list of students admitted by University and who are currently sitting at home.
We realised that the cream of this country as far as the BGSE results for the past three years are concerned are at home,” one parent toldSunday Standard. Parents argued that government has invested a lot of money to put up BIUST and was not getting value for money. The parents’ primary concern is the students; where their future lies with the University and what options are open for the students. “We are trying by all means not to be militant about the matter, we are trying to be civil about it, until then we will see how events develop at the University and the Ministry of Education.
The University is not even certain about what to do when the school starts running again. We have been given varying dates, some say January, some say February and some say March,” another parent said. The Acting Vice Chancellor Professor John Cooke said government’s investment in the University, now and into the future, makes for solid evidence that BIUST future is not in question.
