Chandapiwa Baputaki
7 January 2009
Students due to register for their first year at the Gaborone Technical College on Monday found themselves in possession of letters of admission, but without the Ministry of Education sponsorship that would permit them to attend class.
According to the principal of the college, Oliver Sebele, they did not receive any official communication from the Department of Student Placement and Welfare (DSPW) regarding any problems with sponsorship.
"They did not give the students any reason except that there was no money to sponsor students in all technical colleges," Sebele said.
Permanent Secretary at the education ministry, Ruth Maphorisa says that it was only a misunderstanding that resulted in the students being turned away.
"The issue has since been resolved. It was just one of the officials here who did not understand what we discussed," she says.
Maphorisa says the officer returned the students because it was agreed that there would be no more processing of the sponsorships for new students.
"We were only catering for those who were continuing their studies up until the end of this financial year in April after which we would start with the next batch of first years," she said.
According to Maphorisa, students at the technical colleges start their courses by doing 'a foundation course' before proceeding to do their certificate.
She said the students who had presented a problem are the ones who were proceeding to starting their certificate courses.
"We have since requested the director of student placement to talk to all the headmasters so that they admit the students and collect their applications for sponsorship, which we will later process here while they are in classes," Maphorisa said.
There is space in the schools created by the students who graduated last year, she pointed out.
The ministry official further said that they have requested the students who completed their matric in South Africa last December hold on for the others who are waiting for the Botswana Government Certificate in Secondary Education (BGCSE) whose sponsorship will be processed in the next financial year starting in April.
The ministry late last year requested a supplementary budget to the tune of P900 million to cater for the sponsorship of the students. According to Minister of Education, Jacob Nkate, his ministry had been 'underspending' by P400 million per annum before placement of students in local private institutions.
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