Qabathe intervenes in Glen College student unrest

The MEC for agriculture and rural development, Mamiki Qabathe has acknowledged concerns raised by Glen College of Agriculture and promised to act swiftly to address them.

On May 3, students of the college engaged in a picketing exercise to voice out their dissatisfaction with their poor living conditions and mismanagement of the college.

Qabathe speedily met with all the students at the college to listen to their concerns and come up with solutions.

One of the students, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, described the college’s infrastructure as “a mess” adding that the air conditioning and chalk boards were in a state of total disrepair.

The student also complained that the college management was demanding that they pay tuition fees despite having been promised bursaries by the provincial government.

“Our lives are at risk; there are no health bays or first aid kits on campus to respond to emergency situations. We have also been raising the need for renovation of our accommodation and library, but to no avail,” said the students

For her part, Qabathe acknowledged the concerns raised by the students. However, she said some issues raised by the students required immediate attention while others are challenges that need time to remedy.
Qabathe went on a tour around the campus with the department’s management and the representatives of the students verify their claims.

A task team made up of college management, departmental representatives, and representatives of the students was formed to deal with the concerns raised by the students. The task team will draw a programme of action with a deadline to address the concerns of the students.