The following is a report from the Times of Swaziland (the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper) today (3 February 2010) concerning the closure of tertiary colleges following student protests.
MBABANE – Four colleges have been closed indefinitely owing to unprecedented uproar as students demanded increased personal allowances.
The four colleges are the Swaziland College of Technology (SCOT), Ngwane Teachers College, Nazarene Teachers Training College and William Pitcher.
Most affected was SCOT, which was still assessing the cost of damage incurred when rioting students vandalised property on Monday.
SCOT Principal Casper Dube said the college was closed by the students. ‘It is the students who refused to go to class.
‘They said they would return after Parliament had passed a law for the increase in allowances. This left us without an option but to close the college because the mandate of the students is to learn not to boycott classes.’
Dube said the college was still assessing the worth of damage incurred.
William Pitcher Deputy Principal Philemon Gumedze said the college administration issued a memorandum informing all pupils that the college had been closed indefinitely yesterday.
‘The students boarded buses in the morning and left for Mbabane.
‘They will know that the college was closed when they return. Some who remained behind have already left for home. We do not know how long the college will close, but all will depend on the student’s willingness to learn,’ he said.
Ngwane Teacher Training College Principal Amos Mahlalela also confirmed that the college had been closed indefinitely yesterday.
This was after almost all students boarded buses to Mbabane, where they intended to meet Ministry of Education and Training officials.
‘There was nothing we could do to make them go back to class. You can take a horse to the river, but cannot force it to drink. We have reported to the ministry and subsequently closed the college,’ he said.
About five people caused the closure of Nazarene Teachers Training College.
It is said that the people who posed as students from different tertiary institutions stormed the college at about 10am, demanding that their colleagues join them in a march.
Seeing that they might vandalise property, the college’s principal who only wanted to be identified as make Mbingo, said they called the police who arrived promptly.
‘When they saw the police, they ran away. And that is when we got a chance to address our students.
‘In order to protect their lives and property, we informed our students that the college will be closed indefinitely,’ Mbingo said.
The closure of the colleges brings to five the number of institutions of higher learning which closed this year, after the University of Swaziland.
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