Katima Mulilo
The Assistant Pro-Vice Chancellor and Director of the Katima Mulilo Unam Campus Dr Bennett Kangumu is disturbed by the alarming increase in the number of students who are falling pregnant.
Kangumu was speaking at the institution’s annual commencement ceremony on Wednesday.
He said the rising number of students who fall pregnant is worrying as it has a negative impact on the institution’s quest to deliver quality education.
Without citing figures, Kangumu observed that the number of pregnant students is particularly high among first years. He says this might be because young women become so excited when they finish school and are enrolled at university that they lose focus and control.
“I am not saying it is wrong to get pregnant. In fact it’s a good thing in a country with a low population like Namibia, but you must first concentrate on your studies. You must count yourself lucky and privileged to have found a place at the university, so don’t misuse this opportunity,” he advised.
The Katima Mulilo campus has seen the number of enrolled students increase from 888 last year to about 1 175 this year. This is despite the region performing poorly and coming last in the Grade 12 results. With late registration still ongoing this number is expected to rise.
Kangumu says the number has increased because of students coming from other regions and neighbouring countries, which is an indication that “the quality training offered at the campus has not gone unnoticed”.
In a speech read on his behalf by the University of Namibia’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Dr Ellen Namhila, the Vice-Chancellor Lazarus Hangula applauded the Katima Mulilo campus’s Student Representative Council (SRC) and students at large for having not participated in the lockdown which took place at the main campus at the beginning of student registration.
“It must be clear to each and every student and even members of the SRC who may not be willing to follow Unam statutory procedures that the institution will not fail to enforce its polices. I would also like to warn that any student or group of students who dare to undemocratically lock down any part of the institution against the will of the majority of students that want to study will be shown the exit door,” stressed Hangula.
Hangula reminded students that they should not be misled in implying that the consensus reached between the Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi, and Unam provided for the scrapping of fees.
“The truth is that those students who happen not to have enough money at registration should be allowed to register, but the remaining amount will be debited to their accounts and the money paid before July,” stated Hangula.
Hangula stressed that the government always keeps its promises and after promising free primary education and free secondary education, those promises were fulfilled.
“And this year government has promised free tertiary education to be implemented when the time is right, that is when money is available. Why should tertiary education students then be induced into unreasonableness and not be encouraged to wait in the same way the learners from primary and secondary education schools did,” questioned Hangula.