Maxmilliant Katjimune has said that higher education students must be given the option to choose whether they want to come back to campus or not, as the debate of whether to keep on with schooling this year or not rages on.
Katjimune was speaking to Eagle FM on the Early Morning Scoop this week when he said there is no certainty as to when a vaccine of Covid-19 will be found and as such schools have to be opened for those that can attend.
“Our view in terms of the reopening of classes for the higher education sector is that students must be given a choice whether they want to come back to campus or not. For example at the University of Namibia, we now have a situation whereby only 33% of the students will be allowed to come back from the 3rd of August and part of this 33% will be fourth years and some students who have some practical classes. But we disagree with that fundamentally because what is the benchmark of saying this is a disadvantaged student and therefore must come back to campus and this is an advantaged student who does not need to come back?
Our view is that all fourth years whether you are disadvantaged, you have critical classes or whatnot, you must be able to come to campus because you have research that is very important and you need internet access which most can afford only on campus. Secondly, you have students who have practical classes that must, at all costs, come back. So we are saying, as the Student Union of Namibia, there must not be a blanketing of everything to say that you come back to and you must not come back because at the end of the day students are paying the same fees. So we are saying if a student feels that their lives are at risk they must be able to say I will not come back and if a particular student feels they want to come back they must,” he said.
In South Africa, schools have been shut down for four weeks while Kenya has considered its academic year 2020 lost and classes will resume only nest year.
Some critics have called for a total shut down of schools by next week Monday or the ministry of education will risk having to deal with demos and stay-at-homes by teachers.
“I cannot comment on the situation of Kenya because I am also not aware of how their situation is. I do know that in South Africa from the 3rd of June the higher education minister Blade Nzimande announced that they will be starting with only 33% of the students in June and then in July they will increase that capacity to 67% and then 76%.
So my worry is that if students are able to come back to campus, particularly the fourth years, then you will have a very difficult problem because it means that not only are some students forced to pay again next year but their students who have made sacrifices to come to campus this year, there are students who are paying for themselves and must finish the academic year, there are students who are on bursaries and if we are of the view that we need to keep on cancelling classes, there is a study by the Hopkins University that says the vaccine will only be found only next year around July. So are we going to be cancelling classes until July next year?” said the young politician and student leader.
Give students an option – students’ union
