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WE DO NOT SUPPORT THE CLOSURE OF UNAM CENTRE (SWAKOPMUND)
Students S.
started this petition to
UNIVERSITY OF NAMIBIA MANAGEMENT TEAM
From:
UNAM Swakopmund center students
studentswakunamcentre@gmail.com
12 January 2021
To:
University of Namibia
Vice Chancellor: Prof. Kenneth Matengu
CODEL Director: Dr. Maggy Beukes-Amiss
Assistant Register: Ms Anna-mali Biwa
Administrative assistant and Acting RASSOR: Ms Sylvia Shapumba
Subject: CLOSURE OF UNAM REGIONAL CENTER (SWAKOPMUND)
On the 17th December 2020, an announcement was made regarding the closure of UNAM regional centres. As concerned students from Swakopmund centre, we would like to express our unpleasantness concerning the closure of the regional centre in which Swakopmund centre is included. This letter serve as a formal complaint about the closure of the centre. As distance students, this announcement left us with so much anger and frustration because we were not consulted to air our views before a final decision is made, we were completely disregarded. This is an unfair act since we are the clients and we thought our concerns matter .
We would like to bring the following issues to UNAM management to express our views as to why we don’t support the decision taken to close down the above mentioned Centre:
This Centre was mostly regarded as a Main Centre considering as to how it has been useful towards most of the students at the coastal areas such as Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Arandis, Usakos, and Karibib, Uis and Otjimbingwe.
Often times when we make calls or sent emails to the Main Campus, our calls or emails never answered therefore we always approach Swakopmund UNAM centre for assistance.
We have been using this Centre’s library to access books, computers as some of us came from disadvantage families, not every student own acomputer/ laptop to do assignments or research.
We have been making use of this centre whenever we have issues with UNAM for instance outstanding results, registration, collecting of books.
·
In addition, we understand that in a case we need UNAM services, we will have to get it from the nearest campus and in our case that will be Sam Nujoma Campus at Henties Bay. Based on our research, Henties Bay doesn’t have a taxi rank that can make it easier for one to get a taxi anytime of the day. Now imagine a student that has to write an examination early morning at 08h00 and expected to be in the examination room by 07h30, do you think he/she will make it? Of course not! Due to the fact that Henties Bay is far, additionally, one will find it so difficult to get a taxi that’s ready to go since many taxi’s drivers will not drive unless the taxi is full. Imagine a student that finished the examination at 19h00, what time do you think a student will get a taxi and what time will arrive home? Besides, we all know it’s not safe at all to travel at night. If a student opt to look for an accommodation, that will be another cost burden to a student.
We are already struggling financially to pay for our study especially during this difficult moment of Covid-19 and now we are being given another burden to travel to Henties Bay to access UNAM services. This is very inconsiderate.
There are many disabled students registered with UNAM as well as the inmate students, considering this closure, how is UNAM empowering those people? This is discouraging and frustrating, because we have a lot of registered physically challenged students and those wish to study with UNAM but this move honestly will discourage them as it will be a struggle travelling up and down to access UNAM services at Henties Bay. Mind you, we all know that not all taxi drivers like taking along people that are living with disability as they feel like they waste too much of their time and occupy so much space.
If this closure is a result of financial crises due to the pandemic (Covid-19/Corona) then we will not accept such excuse simply because if UNAM management calculate the monthly rental fee since the establishment of the Centre, such amount could have been used to buy a plot and build a centre unless there were some hidden agenda were by certain individual(s) were corruptly benefiting from the rental fee of that particular building.
UNAM has totally disappointed us due to the fact that most students haven’t received their internet devices as promised and this was a very big challenge especially when we had to attend online classes and take online examination last year (2020). Most students found themselves in a dilemma concerning buying mobile data for internet connection to write exams. This situation is disheartening because most students did not manage to finish examination due to limited data, internet connectivity & time limit. In addition, we encountered some questions that needed us to draw but the system could not allow one to draw, as a results we ended up failing. Therefore we recommend UNAM management to come up with a system that is user friendly & meet all examination specifications such as drawing etc.
Lastly, we are so frustrated by UNAM every year failing to release examination results on time or before they close. It has become a norm were students have to go on holiday without knowing their results. Imagine a student that didn’t pass and suppose to write a supplementary exam but due to the delay of releasing the results the student miss out and will be forced to repeat the same subject and still pay for it. This is unfair, unacceptable, and we regard this as poor customer service and this is more like gambling with our study that meant to shape our future.
We hope to hear from you as soon as possible. Thank you for acceptation and consideration of the issues highlighted above.
Sincerely,
Distance students.
Swakopmund UNAM Centre
Signatures Student#
UNAM Swakopmund center students
studentswakunamcentre@gmail.com
12 January 2021
To:
University of Namibia
Vice Chancellor: Prof. Kenneth Matengu
CODEL Director: Dr. Maggy Beukes-Amiss
Assistant Register: Ms Anna-mali Biwa
Administrative assistant and Acting RASSOR: Ms Sylvia Shapumba
Subject: CLOSURE OF UNAM REGIONAL CENTER (SWAKOPMUND)
On the 17th December 2020, an announcement was made regarding the closure of UNAM regional centres. As concerned students from Swakopmund centre, we would like to express our unpleasantness concerning the closure of the regional centre in which Swakopmund centre is included. This letter serve as a formal complaint about the closure of the centre. As distance students, this announcement left us with so much anger and frustration because we were not consulted to air our views before a final decision is made, we were completely disregarded. This is an unfair act since we are the clients and we thought our concerns matter .
We would like to bring the following issues to UNAM management to express our views as to why we don’t support the decision taken to close down the above mentioned Centre:
This Centre was mostly regarded as a Main Centre considering as to how it has been useful towards most of the students at the coastal areas such as Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Arandis, Usakos, and Karibib, Uis and Otjimbingwe.
Often times when we make calls or sent emails to the Main Campus, our calls or emails never answered therefore we always approach Swakopmund UNAM centre for assistance.
We have been using this Centre’s library to access books, computers as some of us came from disadvantage families, not every student own acomputer/ laptop to do assignments or research.
We have been making use of this centre whenever we have issues with UNAM for instance outstanding results, registration, collecting of books.
·
In addition, we understand that in a case we need UNAM services, we will have to get it from the nearest campus and in our case that will be Sam Nujoma Campus at Henties Bay. Based on our research, Henties Bay doesn’t have a taxi rank that can make it easier for one to get a taxi anytime of the day. Now imagine a student that has to write an examination early morning at 08h00 and expected to be in the examination room by 07h30, do you think he/she will make it? Of course not! Due to the fact that Henties Bay is far, additionally, one will find it so difficult to get a taxi that’s ready to go since many taxi’s drivers will not drive unless the taxi is full. Imagine a student that finished the examination at 19h00, what time do you think a student will get a taxi and what time will arrive home? Besides, we all know it’s not safe at all to travel at night. If a student opt to look for an accommodation, that will be another cost burden to a student.
We are already struggling financially to pay for our study especially during this difficult moment of Covid-19 and now we are being given another burden to travel to Henties Bay to access UNAM services. This is very inconsiderate.
There are many disabled students registered with UNAM as well as the inmate students, considering this closure, how is UNAM empowering those people? This is discouraging and frustrating, because we have a lot of registered physically challenged students and those wish to study with UNAM but this move honestly will discourage them as it will be a struggle travelling up and down to access UNAM services at Henties Bay. Mind you, we all know that not all taxi drivers like taking along people that are living with disability as they feel like they waste too much of their time and occupy so much space.
If this closure is a result of financial crises due to the pandemic (Covid-19/Corona) then we will not accept such excuse simply because if UNAM management calculate the monthly rental fee since the establishment of the Centre, such amount could have been used to buy a plot and build a centre unless there were some hidden agenda were by certain individual(s) were corruptly benefiting from the rental fee of that particular building.
UNAM has totally disappointed us due to the fact that most students haven’t received their internet devices as promised and this was a very big challenge especially when we had to attend online classes and take online examination last year (2020). Most students found themselves in a dilemma concerning buying mobile data for internet connection to write exams. This situation is disheartening because most students did not manage to finish examination due to limited data, internet connectivity & time limit. In addition, we encountered some questions that needed us to draw but the system could not allow one to draw, as a results we ended up failing. Therefore we recommend UNAM management to come up with a system that is user friendly & meet all examination specifications such as drawing etc.
Lastly, we are so frustrated by UNAM every year failing to release examination results on time or before they close. It has become a norm were students have to go on holiday without knowing their results. Imagine a student that didn’t pass and suppose to write a supplementary exam but due to the delay of releasing the results the student miss out and will be forced to repeat the same subject and still pay for it. This is unfair, unacceptable, and we regard this as poor customer service and this is more like gambling with our study that meant to shape our future.
We hope to hear from you as soon as possible. Thank you for acceptation and consideration of the issues highlighted above.
Sincerely,
Distance students.
Swakopmund UNAM Centre
Signatures Student#
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(Updated )
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