MBABANE: Dr Stanely Gama, the Principal at the Centre for International Technology (CIT) is accused of forcing students to test for COVID 19 before sitting for their exams.
In a memorandum that was issued on Monday, the college noted that the huge numbers in the spread of the coronavirus means almost everybody was perceived a victim and every student aspiring to visit campus should undergo a COVID 19 test.
“Every student should produce a valid COVID 19 certificate showing a negative result statement before they can be allowed entry into the premises. The certificate should not be more than 14 days from the date of issue”, reads the statement in part.
This Swaziland News was approached by aggrieved students from the college saying this requirement was too steep for them since they are self-sponsored.
“We will be writing exams next week Tuesday and we have been told that only those with a valid COVID 19 certificate will be allowed into the exam room. We all know that a COVID 19 test costs about E850, where are we supposed to get such a huge amount when we are also struggling with fees? Public hospitals won’t allow us to test without showing symptoms of the virus. Even worse, we will be forced to repeat the courses should we test positive for the virus”, said one of the aggrieved students.
Bafanabakhe Sacolo, the Secretary General for the Swaziland National Union of Students ( SNUS) on Wednesday issued a statement that condemned the behaviour of the college.
“This decision represents a highest form of anti-intellectualism and there is no justifiable logic to this intention .CIT college is not the only affected institution in the country so there is no reason for them to make the students suffer and supress their appetite to learn”, reads the statement in part.
When reached for comments, Dr Stanley Gama the Principal at the CIT college said as a college they are open for dialogue with the affected students.
“This arrangement only affects a few students that did not finish writing their exams in December last year, there are only about 3 papers left. The King had availed free COVID 19 testing at the Incwala ceremony, some students used that opportunity to test for the virus and we will also accept those results. Those who cannot afford the expensive tests are welcome to engage the college in order to find a way forward. Those who will test positive will be allowed to write the exams after being cleared for the virus”, said the CIT Principal.
CIT is one of the leading private colleges in eSwatini that provide courses that include Education, Accounting and Finance, Information Technology, Business Management, Health and Community Development.
CIT College