The situation nearly get out of control at the Department of Financing under the Ministry of Education since Wednesday 22th August 2012 as students from different local universities threatened to cause unrest, citing unresolved issues with the ministry.
The students said that their rights to education were not honoured appropriately as the ministry seems reluctant to assist them with sponsorship.
The Ministry was forced to call the police immediately to control the situation as there was commotion on premises at the Gaborone Block 6.
Chaos erupted as tertiary students from the University of Botswana, Botswana Accountancy College and some from private institutions, Limkokwing University and GIPS started singing and shouting as they demanded answers with regard to what had caused delay in issuing sponsorship letters.
Some of the student said they had already attended classes but were later advised to stop attending classes as it was not clear whether they are going to be sponsored.
The students said they are struggling as some do not have accommodation in Gaborone.
Some said they were shortlisted to attend classes but to their surprise, they were told to report to Financing Department for approval. Most of the students were stranded and demanded immediate answers, which the ministry seems not to have.
Officials were locked in and the situation seemed to be getting out of control when the police were called in.
The Director in the Department of Financing failed to address the journalists despite promising to attend to them.
He later sent the Public Relations Officer to attend to them but he was also cagey with details.
The Chief Publicity Officer, Mothusi Ntikile, later after consultation with his superiors made a comment that the numbers of the students were unexpectedly overwhelming and this is what caused the delays.
“We were not having a problem with assisting those who were fresh from Form Five but had difficulty in assisting those who are seeking to be reinstated or advancing to degree level,” said Ntikile. “Some of the students were still being assessed by the board as they are re-taking.”
He added that the number of students who need assistance dates back as 2009, and the ministry has to carefully look into the best student to be sponsored.
“Our formal communications was done with schools because we sent some lists of the students to sponsor but, to our surprise, the same students later came and demanded sponsorship, to which we agreed but at a later date.
Asked about those who were rejected outright, he said: “The director made it clear that it is not a guarantee that the ministry will sponsor retakes but needs to have a thorough assessment and look at the best students to be assisted because some students failed badly and still need to be sponsored, so with that we are not going to take it anymore.”
He could not state the number of student the ministry has projected to sponsor, but was also unsure of some University of Botswana students who were rejected.
Ntikile has promised that all the students affected will be assisted before end of this week.
UB SRC-Secretary General Wandipa Zwebatho told The Telegraph that they had managed to negotiate with school management, two days after closing date for registration. She said the majority of the students, if not all, have been assisted except for about 27 students who were rejected by the ministry due to some documents which were alleged to be missing when they re ÔÇôapplied for reinstatement.
Zwebatho, however, said those who were rejected have been advised of their rights to appeal.
