Call for more student support in Tshwane during lockdown
Student leaders at tertiary institutions in Tshwane have called for improved support structures to be provided to ensure learning is not stalled by the lockdown.
They raised their concerns about the lack of communication for courses and the welfare of students learning from home.
At Unisa, chairperson of Tshwane regional SRC Simamkele Xani said other than the fact that institutions had been closed amid fears of the Covid-19 pandemic spreading, plans regarding how students were to navigate the new learning arrangement had not been forthcoming.
He said at the start of the lockdown statements had been sent to students to keep them abreast of everything, but that had since stopped. The lack of communication and silence, has, according to Xani, caused panic among students as there was no one to respond to questions, queries via emails or calls, yet due dates for submissions had already been posted.
He said this affected numerous courses such as engineering, information technology, psychology and education, all of which required students to do practicals before acquiring their qualifications.
“It’s frustrating when lecturers and the institution are quiet yet there are some students who were hoping to be done with semester work to get qualified and look for jobs.
“The issue of communication has destabilised us as the student leaders as we’re trying to get information to get to students, to no avail. “Responses are vague and at times come days later. The university is taking decisions without us knowing, we can’t do anything about it. That’s why we’re requesting devices and data to help us work.”
SRC president general at Tshwane University of Technology Banele Malefo said student leaders were still in discussions with the institution for developments.
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