Kagiso Jani
14 March 2008
opinion
Gaborone — The government has announced a 15 percent increase to public servants salaries and allowances, though the name is self explanatory " public servants" it is however necessary to note that it is a commendable effort for the government to save its employees from the escalating rate of inflation.
Those in the private sector are already safe, Hon Kwelagobe bears testimony to this that government cannot match private sector salaries. However proceed from the premise whether or not inflation affects only those who are working, either in government or private sector, what about University students who survives on allowance from the government or may be they have special shops where they buy from and that means such shops are not affected by inflation.
The precise question is that there are many tertiary institutions now, sponsored by the government, most of students from this institutions are off campus, they buy from choppies, spar , shoprite and obviously public servants also buy from this shops and the cry that everything is becoming more expensive is an everyday song, but why increase salary for public servants and not increase allowance for such students? I should not be misunderstood, I am merely posing a question to those who posses powers to determine whether or not a particular sector of the community should get an increament. I support the idea of rewarding the public service handsomely and agree with them that 15 percent is not a handsome figure, it is rather urgly. My honest opinion is that student allowances should also be increased as and when neccessary, and i cannot imagine any extreme neccessity other than inflation which affects everyone in our noble society.
I am not saying allowances should be increased unneccesarily but inspiration should be drawn from allowances offered by big companies like Debswana to its students and a handsome allowance given to students studying abroad by the government of Botswana.
I hope i will get the neccessary advise in case i am traversing in the wrong direction, but my personal experience is that as a student, especially an off campus student, you are no exception to inflation and when it overcomes your income, life becomes synonymous to traversing one of the most difficult terrains on eath.
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