Behind the scenes at CPUT: a Student's Perspective.

Call me old-fashioned, but as a current student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, (CPUT or Kaput, as it is better known) I consider myself as a paying client. I expect the institution to give me a well-structured and organised education wrapped in lovely red ribbons of respect, fairness and equality, in return for my mother's hard-earned cash.

However, this is not the case at CPUT. The conduct of the lecturers and general staff leaves much to be desired in terms of organisation skills, efficiency, time-management, professionalism… the list goes on. This is a common aspect of every student's daily life spent at the CPUT campus, ranging from class cancellations, lecturers arriving late, the lack of feedback/ memorandums after tests or exams and, even more frustrating, the blatant disregard and disrespect with which some of the lecturers treat the students. Is setting a good example not the best sermon? The campus itself is littered with cigarette buds, empty coffee cups, chips packets and cans and the bathrooms are filthy and unhygienic.

Drastic times call for drastic measures. These are drastic times as well as the very reason why I am making my voice heard. I suggest that the general staff members, head of departments and - more importantly - the lecturers start taking serious steps and not wait until the situation is so dire that they have few options available to improve it. Help me to be proud of our institution.