Loadshedding has introduced new challenges, especially for those studying in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape.

Ingwe TVET College students at Sithetho Campus in Bizana have been the victims of sabotage because of continuous load shedding.

More than 60% of students doing N5 Information Processing have failed their exams due to load shedding while others had to write supplementary exams.

Sources who asked to remain anonymous have accused the college management of negligence, because there should have been a back-up generator in place to assist during critical times like examinations.

“Our back-up generator has not been working since last year around August,” said the

source.

Their final blow was when there was load shedding during the exam and they had to wait for two hours in the exam room to continue writing once the electricity returned.

“We were told that we would be reimbursed the time wasted due to loadshedding, but after two hours of load shedding we were only given 30 minutes extra added to the three-hour paper, even though we lost two hours to loadshedding,” she said.

The students have been battling with slow and inefficient computers since last year.

Last week they took matters upon themselves and picketed outside the gates of the college,

forcing management to address the problems.

“We want them to pay the computer licences and fix jamming computers because if we fail because of faulty computers, we have to pay a fee to repeat the same module and we want a back-up generator so that we don’t go through what happened last year,” said another source.

Numerous efforts to talk to the campus head, Mr Mngomeni, failed, as his cell phone went unanswered or went to voicemail.

However, HOD for the School of Business Studies, Ms Baya, refused to comment on this matter, although she did not deny the facts.

“My mouth is sealed from talking to the media and I am not allowed to give out the contact details of any staff member,” said Baya.

Pictured above: Computer lab at Ingwe TVET College in Sithetho Campus Bizana

Image source: Supplied