Costly Unam Breakfasts

ALLOW me to voice my concern about how we Unam hostel students are treated by the institution that looks beautiful from outside but is very different on the inside.

The University introduced compulsory breakfast for all hostel residents without even consulting them about this development. Students were forced to pay about N$3 000 for this compulsory breakfast on top of the normal accommodation fees (over N$5 000).Our complaint was not serious until we were told that a daily fee of N$12 dollars is deducted from our student accounts irrespective of whether you ate breakfast or not.That is pure terrorism.If I ask those in charge why the money was deducted, what will they say? Money is a scarce resource (especially for us students), and should be wisely handled.To top it all, the so-called breakfast is nothing but a four slices of bread, and tea or coffee.Some of us, especially final-year students, have better things to do than wake up at six o’clock for unwelcome breakfasts.Do I have to miss my classes and other academic activities because I am afraid to lose my money for nothing? Is Unam trying to generate money to replace stolen computers or what? It won’t make any difference if “eshi tashi li ekunde omekunde shili” (what is eating the bean is inside the bean).We are embarrassed to see officials draining the very institutions that they have been claiming for years to be managing in an accountable way.Maybe Unam is trying to generate revenue from us destitute students.If we were rich we wouldn’t be studying.Chancellor Dr Sam Nujoma, are you aware of these developments and if so do you just give the green light to such massive exploitation? I am worried about the escalating number of students who are leaving the hostel because they cannot afford it anymore.Students go to the hostel to escape disturbances in the “lokasie”, but how do these introductions contribute to the development of the much-needed human capital in this country? Unam, please do something! Toivo WindhoekStudents were forced to pay about N$3 000 for this compulsory breakfast on top of the normal accommodation fees (over N$5 000).Our complaint was not serious until we were told that a daily fee of N$12 dollars is deducted from our student accounts irrespective of whether you ate breakfast or not.That is pure terrorism.If I ask those in charge why the money was deducted, what will they say? Money is a scarce resource (especially for us students), and should be wisely handled.To top it all, the so-called breakfast is nothing but a four slices of bread, and tea or coffee.Some of us, especially final-year students, have better things to do than wake up at six o’clock for unwelcome breakfasts.Do I have to miss my classes and other academic activities because I am afraid to lose my money for nothing? Is Unam trying to generate money to replace stolen computers or what? It won’t make any difference if “eshi tashi li ekunde omekunde shili” (what is eating the bean is inside the bean).We are embarrassed to see officials draining the very institutions that they have been claiming for years to be managing in an accountable way.Maybe Unam is trying to generate revenue from us destitute students.If we were rich we wouldn’t be studying.Chancellor Dr Sam Nujoma, are you aware of these developments and if so do you just give the green light to such massive exploitation? I am worried about the escalating number of students who are leaving the hostel because they cannot afford it anymore.Students go to the hostel to escape disturbances in the “lokasie”, but how do these introductions contribute to the development of the much-needed human capital in this country? Unam, please do something! Toivo Windhoek