A LEVEL-2 STUDENT in Civil Engineering at the Moremogolo Further Education and Training (FET) College in Galeshewe, claims that he has never once attended a Computer Theory class since the start of the academic year in January.
According to him, this is due to a shortage of lecturers and computers at the college.
The same applies to his friend who said she also had not attended any Life Orientation lectures. The students, who wanted to remain anonymous, also said there was still no Maths Literacy lecturer at the college and that was why they still roamed outside the classrooms most of the time.
According to them, that was partly why theyhad picketed in demand for better conditions on Thursday (04/02).
The two students from Kuruman told Express Northern Cape that the shortage of lecturers was starting to affect them negatively as they were expected to do their first mid-term exams next month, just before the Easter holidays.
“I feel guilty because it was by choice to study away from home to avoid distractions and concentrate on my studies after applying for a bursary. Due to money problems, me and two fellow-students had to rent a shack in Transit Camp to save my mother the trouble of worrying about all four of her children.
“She has to look after me here, my older sister at varsity, my younger brother at high school and our last-born at primary school,” said the one student.
The students approached the media after the shock of rumours that seven more lecturers had resigned from the college.
But the college management dismisses all allegations and rumours by the students.
According to the principal, Dr Clifford Barnes, the college was short of only two lecturers Z one in Life Orientation and one in Maths Literacy Z whom they are in the process of replacing before the end of this week. He added that the resignation of the two lecturers had been rendered at the end of January, and the college had to group the students into larger groups until replacements were found.
That, according to Barnes, obviously created a lot of unhappiness.
“We have enough lecturers and almost 800 computers for administration purposes and for the students, and it is upgraded every three years,” said Barnes.
He said examinations, which were not expected to be hindered by any distractions, would commence on 30 March for Engineering students at the City Campus, while the examinations of the other subjects would follow from 30 May.
“We have completed the interview process for the lecturers and the new ones are expected to start before Friday (12/02). We confirm that we have not received any new resignations of lecturers.”