To the rescue…Lizwe Jamela
This was despite that an Ordinary Level Mathematics pass was not a requirement when they enrolled for the course.They have now registered for the examinations after ZLHR’s Lizwe Jamela intervened on their behalf.The Mathematics requirement is part of the government’s recently introduced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programme, which makes it mandatory for students to pass Maths and Science subjects to enroll for any higher education programme.This was not a requirement when the students were accepted and enrolled by the college to study for a Records Management and Library Information Science national diploma in 2013. national diploma studies.The students have apparently fallen foul to the college’s seemingly overzealous implementation of new policy regulations introduced last year by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education.
The regulations stipulate that anyone wishing to enroll at an institution of higher learning should have passed mathematics and a science subject at Ordinary Level.Jamela, who is representing the students, said the college was wrong to implement the STEM requirements in retrospect, hence the students should be allowed to sit for the examinations scheduled for March this year.“The new Mathematics requirement should not be used in retrospect to the detriment of our clients who were duly enrolled to undertake their studies on the strength of their examinations body, the Higher Education Examination Council (HEXCO), having completed studies with your institution,” said Jamela in a letter to the college principal on 18 January.
The college had directed Jamela, the ZLHR Regional Manager for the Southern Region, to take the case up with HEXCO, which suggested an interim solution allowing the students to be allowed to sit for their examinations while a more permanent solution was being worked out.“Our clients accept the interim solution of the sitting for their examinations whilst their matter receives further deliberations as they stand to be highly prejudiced in the event of failure to write their examination,” said Jamela in the letter to the government-run college.Jamela said the students’ right to administrative justice as set out in Section 68 of the Constitution would be violated. “In any case the institution has already invested a lot in them through the three years including industrial internship.
They have also paid all the tuition fees required by the institution throughout the three year course and they have been sitting for their examinations all these years.“The current problem is not of their making as they were duly enrolled through the requirement accepted at their enrolment time,” wrote Jamela.He said he would approach the courts if the college refused to allow the students to sit for their examinations as suggested by HEXCO.The college relented and allowed the students to register on 2 February.
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