…after student protests and a bomb scare
Letsatsi Selikoe
One student, one staff member and a security officer were reported injured after a protest at Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology (LUCT).
This after the LUCT students broke into a violent protest from Monday morning, blocking the main roads passing by their two campuses in Maseru.
This invited the attention of the police to restore order as the strike was both illegal and disturbing the peace.
Police Special Operations Unit (SOU) members were still visible on Tuesday near both campuses where students were still gathered, then singing and chanting peacefully.
According to the LUCT Vice Chancellor, Teboho Macheli, the student had also thrown a homemade bomb at one of the school buildings, possibly in an attempt to burn it down.
“Thankfully, the bomb only shattered a window and did not make its way into the building,” Advocate Macheli said yesterday, visibly shaken by the incident.
“School property and a vehicle were damaged during the protest.”
However, he said he could not provide full details as police investigation were still underway.
Adv Macheli said this during the university’s press confrence yesterday in the aftermath of the protest.
According to him, the root cause of the protest was apparently a fraudulent academic calendar that had circulated amongst the students.
The illegitimate calendar stated that the academic year for 2024 would end on 14th June, whereas the official university calendar indicated 31st May as the last day of school.
While it is not yet clear to the univeristy who was responsible for the fake calendar, this discrepancy caused a stir among students, leading to a misunderstanding and the eventual eruption of the protest on campus.
Students began demanding financial allowances for the month of June as the fraudulent calendar had indicated that they would finalise their examinations for this academic year on 14 June 2024.
However, the university administration yesterday maintained their stance that the official academic calendar would remain unchanged, with the end of year still scheduled for May 31st.
The students were still unhappy with the official exams timetable released by the university on Monday.
The schedule showed that all final examinations would take place within a week. They regarded this as an unusual cramming of the exams timetable to deprive them of their allowances in June.
According to Adv Macheli, the students expressed their concerns about the weekend exams, accusing the university of manipulating the timetable to avoid having to engage the National Manpower Development Sectretariat (NMDS) to pay June allowances.
He however added that it was not a new thing as lectures do take place on weekends.
Adv Macheli clarified that the NMDS scholarship agreements stipulated that student allowances were only granted from August to May, being the duration of the academic year.
As such, he emphasized that the university would not extend the calendar to June.
“We understand the students’ concerns,” he stated, “but we must also remain true to our contractual obligations with NMDS.”
However, the Students Representative Council (SRC) president, Tṧeliso Kheleli, offered a different account of events.
“The main reason for the strike wasn’t about the allowances,” he asserted.
Mr Kheleli said the SRC had had a meeting with the LUCT management last month where it was agreed to extend the academic year to the 7th of June, allowing for a two-week exam period.
However, the school’s exam timetable circulated on Monday this week appeared to contradict this, showing exams scheduled from the 25th of May to the 31st of May, a mere seven-day period.
“Students feel this is far too short a timeframe to adequately prepare for exams,” Mr Kheleli explained.
“We need time to study between each exam. Reducing the exam period from two weeks to seven days puts undue pressure on the students,” he added, highlighting the potential impact of such a rushed schedule on their academic performance.
“Had we been informed of the 31st May calendar earlier, we would have planned our academic year differently. The students have been misled by the calendar they received at the beginning of the year,” he stated.
However, Adv Macheli firmly refuted these claims, stating that the exam schedule remained in line with the original calendar and that the university was not sacrificing student well-being for the sake of expediency.
He explained: “The exam period is set to conclude on the 31st of May, as planned in the original calendar.
“Following the exams, we have allotted an extra week, extending to the 7th of June. This extension will provide ample time for students engaged in internships to submit their reports and those who need to complete final presentations to do so.
“We urge our students to consult the official calendar and timetable for clarification and to disregard any rumours that may have been circulating. We remain committed to the education and well-being of our students,” he added.
For his part, the Ministry of Education and Training Principal Secretary, Ratṧiu Majara, appealed to the students to prioritize their education amidst the ongoing unrest.
“Let us not squander this precious opportunity you have been given to pursue higher education. Remember that the exam period is imminent, and this time should be utilized for revision and preparation, not protests and destruction.”
He then addressed the importance of civil discourse and peaceful resolution, admonishing the students for resorting to violence and damaging property.
