Angry students disrupted classes at the Letaba TVET college Maake campus last Thursday, May 17.
They allege that management is not listening to their demands. The strike broke out after the management failed to reach an agreement on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) loan bursary.
The 2017 students say they were promised to be paid 50% of their NSFAS allowance but they haven’t received a cent from the management.
Read: TZANEEN: TVET students strike, demand money
A studentsof the Letaba TVET college said, “Earlier this year, we were told to pay 50% of our course money and the rest would be paid back to us when NSFAS pay. They have been in talks with the management for a while but management is not willing to address their concerns.”
Students accused management of having done the same thing for the past years with students having to fight to get their money.
“We are not going back to classes until our issues are resolved. We will demonstrate outside until management addresses our concerns and plight. The central office must intervene,” said one of the students.
Students, especially women, lamented the condition of sanitation on campus.
The growing mismatch between the number of students on campus and the corresponding sanitation facilities available has triggered health concerns among the students.
They also blame the authorities for not maintaining hygiene in toilets on a daily basis. Students at the Letaba TVET College recall an instance when the lock on the toilets on campus remained faulty for a long while, “We had no other options but to either take assistance for friends who would wait outside like guards,” said a student. Students admitted that their campus lacks proper sanitation facilities, “We tried to raise the issue before the higher ups on several occasions but little has been done to increase the toilets and ensure better sanitation facilities. Erratic water supply and poor maintenance has added to the existing woes,” said an anonymous student.
The college management could not be found for comment
