Final-year nursing students at the Free State School of Nursing’s Southern campus in Bloemfontein are protesting outside the school’s premises. The group is protesting over what they say is miscommunication from the provincial health department.
They allege that as they are about to end their academic tenure, they’re faced with uncertainty after they were told that they won’t be placed under any community service programme.
One of the concerned striking nursing students is Nthabiseng Jan. She says they signed contracts at the beginning of their studies that they would be afforded community service programme.
“It’s our third year now. It’s our final year and only now we’re told that we cannot have community service. It was a mistake. So now, we’re expected to look for placement and employment for ourselves, while we wait to write the board exam in November. In the interim, we don’t know what’s supposed to happen. We’re being told that we’ll have to find placement for ourselves, to work as carers, only with testimonials but who’s going to hire us?”
Over 50 final-year nursing students want the provincial health department to stick to their initial agreement in which they were promised to be placed on a community service programme, upon completion of their studies.
The school’s Student Representative Committee member, Sabelo Mcatsha, revealed that they will not stop protesting, until the management reconsiders their decision.
“The way forward is to stay militant. We don’t surrender. We continue whatever we’re doing, because our requests are not met and it’s not something that has started now. We’ve been asking this question since last year October. There’s no further answers. We’re amazed that they can make a decision today that they will continue with stipends but two weeks back they said they were out of budget and they cannot accommodate us anymore. So meaning now, our request can still be reconsidered if they can go on a meeting for one hour and take a decision. We felt like if we let the business of the day to continue, our request will never be met.”
The students have vowed to remain militant until their demands are met.
