MY UNISWA PLIGHT

Sir,

Allow me to comment on the dreaded and feared issue that has been troubling me as a university student. Not only a university student but also a university student at the ‘University of Choice in Africa’, UNISWA.

  Quite a prestigious title I must say. I had time to write this letter because I’m not attending classes, not because I don’t want to but because on Monday I was asked to vacate the institution’s premises with immediate effect after my fellow learned students engaged in class boycotts.

I have first-hand experience of my loud colleagues who chase us out of lecturer rooms by intimidating lecturers and banging on desks while in possession of tree branches that if you’re unfortunate they might just give you a good spanking.

This follows after a whole night of students banging on your door and forcing you to join their protest. The banging of doors is slowly taking its toll; another episode of door banging might just result in serious damage to my door which is already in bad condition.
Unfortunately I just have to grin and bear it because I’m part of the minority rule. I belong to the underappreciated and overlooked section of the institution; the privately sponsored students.

It seems at our institution majority rules. Any addressing of students whether by the administration or by the SRC, almost always sees me at the losing end, because majority rules. I am expected to empathise with government-sponsored students and support their struggle regardless of the fact that it does not concern me. Failure to do so might result in a broken door and threats from other students.

A violation to my right of freedom of expression and opinion as stated in Section 24(1) of the Constitution of Swaziland. My struggle seemingly means nothing to them. The fact that my parents struggle to also pay tuition fees for me does not move them. I’m also a law student and we are not sponsored by government.
 My parents aren’t rich at all but hardworking folks who do their best to ensure I stay at the institution but my colleagues don’t care.

Whenever I try to reason with them they cut me off with you’re a privately sponsored student. I know you’re probably wondering, what about the SRC? Well, the last time I tried to talk to one of the executive members about my problems they; “Last time we stood with you privately sponsored students and made the university allow you to pay your tuition fees in instalments.”

So apparently this means I owe them a lifetime of loyalty and support even though it might adversely affect me.
So yes, it comes down to this, the SRC is no longer an institution I can rely on to represent me as a privately sponsored student, moreover as a law student. I have to sit at home and suffer for a protest action that I took no part in.

Disheartened by all this, my fellow law students and I took to a silent protest at the university gate.
Arriving as early as 7:30am to be addressed by the institution’s officials, we were told by their respective secretaries that none of the relevant authorities were present; something very surprising indeed.

We later found out, at 1pm, that they were all in their offices all along. How do I trust the institution when I’m exposed to lies like this? Who do I trust to stand up for me and represent me as a privately sponsored student? How do I trust that the university will not lie to me on matters concerning my welfare and education? The issue of law students returning to class is one that they can undoubtedly deal with a sort out very quickly if they want to.

The million Dollar question though is do they want to? Well I will not jump to conclusions; you be the judge. After all I belong to the minority. My voice has little if any significance at all. Any attempts to stand up and fight for myself are stopped before I even have both feet on the ground, because I belong to the minority rule. After all who am I to question the efficiency of the University of Choice in Africa?

Itsoutspokenme

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