By Teboho Serutla
Botho University has dismissed as untrue ‘lacking in substance’, utterances by the university’s students who accused it management of tyrannical tendencies and unilaterally making decisions affecting students without consulting them.
This week saw flashes of disorder as students engaged in picketed outside the university’s Maseru Mall offices demanding that management address their demands which centred around payment of fees.
Students who spoke to theReporter on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, stated that they are experiencing challenges with purchasing internet data bundles required for online learning due to they yet to be processed disbursement of money by their loan bursary providers, the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS).
They claim that, notwithstanding the payment of the ‘lump sums’ usually paid out at the beginning of the academic year, the university has gone ahead with plans to implement online.
“We want the management to provide us with data bundles. Alternatively, the management could allow us attend classes physically since the Prime Minister has announced that schools may reopen, subject to Covid-19 safety protocols.
“Due to their difficulty, some subjects require us to take part in group discussions, and that is not possible to achieve with students confined to their homes. Management advised us to connect to the school’s data-free server known as “Blackboard”, but most students cannot access it, let alone download anything contained in the server.
“The fact is, we want to physically come to school. If this does not happen, then the school must push NMDS to speed up the payment of students’ allowances,” one of the students said.
Another student alleged that they students body and school management had come to a common understanding that without data allowances, classes will not proceed.
“However, we were surprised to hear that some students who can afford to buy themselves data bundles are already attending online classes. The management, it seems, has arbitrarily and unilaterally decided to disregard this undertaking.
“Our plight is compounded by prevailing divisions within our Students’ Representative Council (SRC). In the light of this, we decided as the Students Union to confront the Dean over these issues but the Dean declined to give us an audience, claiming it was not in his brief to address students.
“He instead referred us to take the matter up with the campus management. We were told the manager was out attending a NACOSEC meeting. And upon her return, she also refused to respond to our concerns, claiming she was under strict orders to avoid crowded areas.”
On the other hands, Botho’s senior manager – business development and external relations – Mankhole Masisi-Thakhisi told this publication that the students’ allegations could not be further from the truth.
“Botho University as a law abiding Institution, has been directed by the ministry of education and Training) to conduct all teaching and learning through online mode because of the Covid-19 situation until further official notice from the ministry. Hence for this reason, we offer online education. BU uses a Blackboard learning management system which is zero rated by both (Econet and Vodacom) service providers.
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic all institutions of higher learning, and through the support of the ministry of education and training, ministry of planning and development, Council on Higher Education and Lesotho Communications Authority, this platform among others was white-listed/ zero-rated through service providers. When a website is zero-rated, this means it can be accessed at no cost,” Thakhisi said.
She emphasised that this arrangement has been in place since April 2020 and has been successfully used by students in the last semester.
She intimated that the concerns expressed by the students about the inaccessibility of this platform are recent, and Botho University had contacted both service providers and reported this matter for resolution.
“The service providers are currently addressing the issue. Apart from that, BU is also engaging with ISP providers to explore possibilities as to how the current service provided by the ISP providers (white-listing) can be enhanced.”
Thakhisi went on to deny allegations that the university management had advised NMDS to cut down student allowances.
She added that the management had never entered into any agreement with students or signed any petition.
On the issue of face to face classes, Thakhisi said the institution appreciates the request but, given the current environment (due to the Covid-19 pandemic), things are far from normal.
“The University would also find it easy to conduct face to face classes. However, given that BU is still waiting for the guidelines for institutions to be issued by the appropriate authority, and the directive from the MOET that face to face classes cannot run, rather institutions should continue teaching online, BU will have to wait before opening the campus to students. “Under the new norm, institutions and students cannot run away from the fact that online learning will play an important role in the students’ learning process. Even if face to face classes were to start, there will be a greater need to blend it with online learning. BU students have been using the blended learning mode for a long time,” she
