NUST bars SRC vice president from SA tour

The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) has barred Student Representative Council (SRC) vice president Rebbeus Hashiyana from participating in an upcoming benchmarking tour to South Africa pending an internal investigation into his conduct.

The decision has sparked condemnation from the Students Union of Namibia (SUN) and intensified a dispute over governance and student welfare at the institution's Eenhana Campus.

Hashiyana's suspension follows a press conference convened by the SRC on Wednesday, during which student leaders publicly raised concerns about governance, academic administration, infrastructure, and student welfare, saying that repeated attempts to address the issues internally had failed.

In a letter dated 22 July, NUST director of student services Dr Donovan Zealand informed Hashiyana that he had been suspended from the trip after allegedly convening and participating in a media conference that was "neither authorised nor sanctioned by the University", without first exhausting the institution's internal processes.

"As an elected student leader, you are expected to uphold the University's values, policies, and governance framework by acting responsibly, exercising sound judgement, and adhering to established communication and dispute-resolution procedures," Zealand wrote.

He said that engaging the media without authorisation could undermine institutional governance and damage the university's reputation.

Zealand added that the decision should "not be interpreted as a finding of guilt" but was "an interim administrative measure intended to safeguard the integrity of the investigation" while ensuring the university's interests were protected.

Challenges

At Wednesday's media briefing, the SRC said students could no longer remain silent over challenges affecting academic life on campus.

"We have called this press conference because we believe that the concerns of students can no longer be ignored, overlooked, or treated as isolated incidents," the SRC said.

Among the issues raised were delays in the release of examination results, inadequate ICT resources, shortages of lecture space, poor communication among staff, restrictions on student activities and governance concerns.

The SRC said delayed examination results were affecting students' academic progression, module registration and applications for financial assistance.

It also said computer shortages remained severe, with about 22 computers at the Eenhana Campus compared with about 10 at Ongwediva and six at Outapi, forcing some students to write tests late into the evening.

"This situation is not sustainable," the council said, adding that students had been forced to attend classes under trees or in temporary venues because of inadequate classroom infrastructure.

"It is unacceptable that students should be expected to receive university education under trees or in venues that may not have been designed primarily for academic instruction," it said.

Student leaders also called for an investigation into allegations that money collected for basketball activities had, in some instances, allegedly been paid into a personal bank account rather than official university channels.

SUN condemned the university's decision, saying student leaders are elected by their peers to represent their interests, raise legitimate concerns, and engage institutional leadership without fear of intimidation or retaliation.

"Retaliation against student representatives sends the dangerous message that exposing institutional failures is punishable, while the failures themselves remain unaddressed," SUN said.

SUN called for Hashiyana's immediate reinstatement pending the outcome of a fair investigation, an independent probe into allegations surrounding examination administration, intervention by the minister responsible for higher education and assurances from NUST that no student leader would be victimised for performing representative duties.

NUST had not, by late yesterday, responded to the broader allegations raised by the SRC and SUN beyond confirming Hashiyana's suspension from the South Africa benchmarking tour pending the internal investigation.