Opinion / Columnist
Resolution on NUST August 2012 intake
24 Jun 2012 at 18:43hrs | Views
In reference to the letter sent to the registrar of National University Of Science and Technology seeking an inquiry on the tribal list of students accepted into the August 2012 intake. Further following comments of the Spokesperson of the University saying students from Matabeleland do not qualify in the institute, we as young leaders from different political parties and civil society of Matabeleland sat down on the 18th of June 2012 and decided to make an inquiry on the matter.
Our demand simply put is, we need to be given a list of both accepted and rejected students and their qualifications and be enlightened on the criteria used to screen students.
If reasons cited by the institute are correct. We would also like to remind the institute that the low academic performance of students from Matabeleland is not at all their fault. The following being citable reasons amongst many.
1. Teachers and human resource meant to serve the community of Matabeleland was either displaced or killed by the Physical Genocide of 1982-87 and the structural Genocide from that period to current.
2. Secondly the policy of discrimination in the teaching profession enrollment is meant to disadvantage our students .
3. Thirdly currently there is a tribalist system of education in the lower education sector, where students in our region are taught in languages they do not understand,specifically we have a scenario of Shona teachers being deployed to schools which are Venda, Tonga, Ndebele, Kalanga,Nambyia, Sotho and other languages dominated. These teachers in turn fail to relate properly with students crippling their academic development.
We would like to also put it forward that any 'A' level pass is two points or more in more than one subject, if this is what we have in Matabeleland then this is what must be further developed. We would rather have average students being trained other than to breed a generation of illiterates.
Lastly education is a major critical component of sustainable development, also termed as a basic inalienable right and a major goal of the MDGs.
Also further noting that the recently edited 1979 grand plan has a clear strategy of academically eliminating our people from mainstream development. This being said, our fundamental rights must be respected and this is where we draw the line.
We have resolved that the August 2012 semester must not begin until it has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that Matabeleland students do not have the minimum requirements needed to pursue further education.
Our demand simply put is, we need to be given a list of both accepted and rejected students and their qualifications and be enlightened on the criteria used to screen students.
If reasons cited by the institute are correct. We would also like to remind the institute that the low academic performance of students from Matabeleland is not at all their fault. The following being citable reasons amongst many.
1. Teachers and human resource meant to serve the community of Matabeleland was either displaced or killed by the Physical Genocide of 1982-87 and the structural Genocide from that period to current.
2. Secondly the policy of discrimination in the teaching profession enrollment is meant to disadvantage our students .
3. Thirdly currently there is a tribalist system of education in the lower education sector, where students in our region are taught in languages they do not understand,specifically we have a scenario of Shona teachers being deployed to schools which are Venda, Tonga, Ndebele, Kalanga,Nambyia, Sotho and other languages dominated. These teachers in turn fail to relate properly with students crippling their academic development.
We would like to also put it forward that any 'A' level pass is two points or more in more than one subject, if this is what we have in Matabeleland then this is what must be further developed. We would rather have average students being trained other than to breed a generation of illiterates.
Lastly education is a major critical component of sustainable development, also termed as a basic inalienable right and a major goal of the MDGs.
Also further noting that the recently edited 1979 grand plan has a clear strategy of academically eliminating our people from mainstream development. This being said, our fundamental rights must be respected and this is where we draw the line.
We have resolved that the August 2012 semester must not begin until it has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that Matabeleland students do not have the minimum requirements needed to pursue further education.
Source - Bulawayo Youth Leaders Joint Resolution
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