WHEN WILL THE CONFUSION END?

By Mohammed Doyo

First years are a confused and a disappointed lot; this comes after the university decided to change their reporting dates, literally at the eleventh hour. Many students and critics alike have termed the decision as the worst ever regarding the opening dates. As you read this now, Hundreds of first year students who already had started their journey to Moi , before the change of the reporting date was made, are stranded in their respective campuses not knowing their fate. Some came as early as yesterday evening and braved the chilly Eldoret weather the whole night. And as at now, they just can’t figure out the next course of action. Honestly speaking, not only is this ‘abrupt communication’ on the change of the dates outrageous, deeply inconveniencing but also unconvincing and inconsiderate

This is not the first time the administration has made such rush decisions concerning the opening dates. In fact the fourth years have gotten used to this never ending ‘changes in the dates’ phenomena. They have learnt to approach the whole idea of reporting dates with the skepticism it deserves. They were to report on June, then came the august date that slowly metamorphosed to end October which has now swiftly transformed to November 6 in the last 24 hours!

While the university is citing the accommodation crisis as the reason to why the abrupt decision of the dates was made, it is clear that the chief decision makers of the university are incompetent, insensitive and poor planners! Who plans the exam timetable? Is there any communication between the administration and the examinations department? If yes, wasn’t the administration aware that some first years, second years and third years would not have finished their second semester exams by 1st and 4th of November respectively? How hard was it to reason that continuing students would still be occupying the hostels? Wasn’t it pretty realistic then, that reporting of first and fourth years in the first week of November was impossible? Couldn’t the administration have seen this even before the commencement of exams and adjusted the dates accordingly rather than shocking the first and fourth years in the last minute? This must be the epitome of myopia blended in poor decision making skills!

Almost every school and department is bombarded with communication, organization, leadership, critical thinking, management and problem solving courses yet the same curriculum developers, implementers and overseers do not practice what they teach in those crowded lecture halls! It is without doubt poor management has resulted to all these problems of reporting dates.

Second years have been made to believe they will report back on 25th Feb. 2013 yet the general elections will be held on 4th march 2013. All factors remaining constant, is this date even close to reality? Third years who are leaving for attachment, are they even sure when they are to resume? These problems of communication dates will keep recurring year in year out, thanks to the poor planners and administrators occupying the administration block for over three decades now! The big question is: who will stand up against these ‘bureaucratic’ inefficiencies’ that have constantly and consistently made the university, a hub of problems?

And now to the problem of first year reporting today, the administration must take the responsibility of providing them with accommodation or the transport fares back, plus compensate the students and their accompanying guardians/parents for making them incur unnecessary expenses. The Doghana-Dikembe led SGC as well as the CST must be on the ground to see justice is done to these innocent victims of circumstances.

Mohammed Doyo is a 2nd year journalism student and immediate former Features editor of the 3rd Eye.