adminMIDLANDS State University Film and Theatre Arts (Honours) student Grace Gaviyao echoed Garvin Madhuku’s distress call of three weeks ago. I thank her for sharing her sentiments with me, Morris Mtisi (MM) One-on-One:
MM: We meet at a time when one of your friends from Chinhoyi committed one of the most horrid crimes of infanticide to hit newspaper headlines in the history of varsity crimes.
GG: She is not my friend, sir, I . . .
MM: Wait, wait, wait! Please stop that beautiful nonsense! She is a university queen like you, beautiful name like yours . . . you flock together and share the same moral decay, values . . . whatever you call them.
GG: Sir, Sir, the story touched every student’s heart. I was . . .
MM: You were what? Well, well, am only pulling your leg. How can I paint everyone with the same brush? My story is really about university students’ internship. What is your take on Garvin Madhuku’s story in which he made a distress call to the powers that be?
GG: I was lucky my dad assisted. I finally got accepted after three months of idleness. I know many of my colleagues from MSU who are still idle after five to six months. How many more experience this distress from other varsities countrywide is anyone’s guess. Madhuku was making a genuine distress call on your column. This is is huge matter of concern for all students.
MM: Do you have any suggestions to alleviate the distress?
GG: Colleges and varsities must take charge and not leave it up to students to secure places for attachment. Another issue is lack of subsistence allowances. Only a few work places or companies subsidise the cost of internship.
We are exploited, used and abused as cheap labour yet we contribute a lot towards whatever business goes on in these companies and work places.
MM: You want salaries and wages?
GG: Precisely! Whatever name you give to the allowances, there is need to acknowledge our contribution. Of course we are learning and thanks for that, but we are working at the same time.
MM: Are you aware of the negative attitude some, perhaps most, companies have towards you . . . today’s crop of students?
GG: I know they think we don’t know anything . . . that we are not employable, etc, but is that our fault? It’s like saying temporary teachers are not entitled to a salary! They may not be qualified, but they are working, are they not? Varikushandaka, sir, handiti?
MM: I am asking the questions, Grace.
GG: Ah sorry, sir! But we certainly deserve a thank you, that is the point. Another problem this has created is corruption . . . horrible dishonesty. Are you aware some students pay company owners to fake being their employees so that lecturers supervising them have some work place they can go to assess them? As soon as the lecturers go away, they (students) remain idle.
MM: Eish, really?
GG: Yes, that is the truth of the matter. Students keep records and reports of non-existing attachment. Some of them scoop distinctions in this dishonest way.
MM: Stage drama?
GG: Exactly! Many fake attachments and get away with it, but it is the situation which creates this dishonesty. It is desperate. I am one of the few university students who were lucky to be somewhere doing genuine attachment.
MM: Let’s stop here, Grace! What a graceful young girl! Please don’t look back. Forward ever backwards never!
GG: Sir! Thank you for talking to me.
MM: Pleasure! Only doing my work!
Online Reporter