THE Rally of Democracy and Progress (RDP) said it is dismayed by revelations that University Namibia (Unam) lecturers have been exchanging marks for sexual favours from students.
The RDP said these revelations are tantamount to the institution being ‘converted into an academic brothel by some lecturers and that some of our daughters have been turned into prostitutes for higher marks’.In a media statement released yesterday, RDP Secretary for Information and Publicity Jeremia Nambinga states that the practice of sex for higher marks not only corrupts children, but also poses a high risk of contracting a number of deadly diseases including HIV-AIDS. On Friday Unam undertook an investigation into the allegations saying it ‘does not in any way condone unprofessional behaviour of the type alleged by recent media reports’.In a statement released by Unam’s Director for Communications and Marketing Edwin Tjiramba on Friday, the University states ‘we have an obligation to thoroughly investigate and get to the bottom of these allegations, not only to clear the name of the University, but also to clear the names of the many employees and students who are carrying out their duties and studies with professional integrity’.According to Tjiramba’s statement it is possible that in a population as big as that of Unam, ‘there could be a few bad apples that could tarnish the name of the institution, its students and employees’.Tjiramba said that the primary purpose of the investigation is to ‘identify and root out individuals who might be conducting themselves so carelessly as to bring the name of our University into disrepute’.The Unam Communications Director further stated that the allegations are very serious and that they cannot be taken lightly due to their negative implication for Unam’s reputation.RDP’s Nambinga has called for the dismissal of ‘lecturers who allow themselves to corrupt our children with sex favours for higher marks, and the children who are involved must be disciplined’.’Any person promoting a culture of laziness and corruption instead of culture of hard work and ethics at Unam must be given marching orders,’ Nambinga’s statement reads.Last week, Congress of Democrats (CoD) Secretary General Tsudao Gurirab said in a media statement that the allegations raise serious question marks around the quality of higher education in Namibia.Gurirab also called for a combined effort from students, their representative bodies and law enforcement bodies to ‘weed out these pests from our education system’.Education Deputy Minister David Namwandi last week said that he would call in the Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate several cases of academic irregularities at higher education institutions.
