MASERU — Lectures finally resumed at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) on Monday after a three-month closure.
The troubled university was shut down on November 7 after lecturers downed tools in protest over poor pay and working conditions.
They also complained that they were being overworked and that management was unwilling to hire more teachers.
The university’s corporate secretary, Tefo Macheli, confirmed to the Lesotho Times yesterday that classes had resumed.
“We have now re-opened. Things started slowly but now everything is fine,” said Macheli.
There were fears that the university could fail to reopen after LUCT suspended 11 lecturers last week for alleged misconduct.
The lecturers received their suspension letters last Wednesday notifying them not to report for duty when the university re-opens.
Some members of the the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Academic Staff Union had threatened to go on strike in solidarity with their suspended colleagues.
But lectures resumed without incident on Monday in a rare show of confidence in the troubled university’s management.
“I am tired of the squabbles that have rocked this institution and disturbed our learning.
“A lot of our time was wasted and I just hope this is the beginning of a new chapter,” one student who refused to be named said.
The president of the LUCT Students Representative Council (SRC), Justice Moroeroe, said things were back to normal since classes resumed.
He said lecturers had given students updated time-tables in a bid to catch up with lost learning time.
“As of now not much teaching has been done because lecturers are busy preparing themselves,” Moroeroe said.
Macheli said the management had written letters to the suspended lecturers explaining the charges they were facing.
“I am not sure if all the teachers have received their letters, but each of them will know what he is being accused of when the investigations are over,” he added.
