LIMKOKWING ON A FREE FALL
There are no signs of recovery at the once mighty Limkokwing University of Creative Technology; if anything, the situation appears to be deteriorating with each passing day.
What was once a vibrant institution attracting thousands of students has now become a shadow of its former self, with insiders painting a grim picture of instability, uncertainty, and declining morale.
It has been more than a decade of struggle, with the university seemingly hanging by a thread.
Employees currently working at the institution say conditions have become increasingly unbearable, citing ongoing financial challenges that have disrupted even the most basic expectations of employment.
Staff members say salaries are no longer paid on a fixed date, a development that has left many frustrated and anxious.
In the past, employees received their pay on the 25th of every month; now, payment dates are unpredictable as they sometimes come in as late as the 10th of the following month.
The inconsistency has severely affected morale.
“People are no longer motivated; you cannot plan your life when you do not know when you will be paid,” an employee who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
Workers also claim that since last year, management has issued multiple memos notifying them of salary delays.
However, these notices offer little reassurance, as they fail to provide clear timelines on when payments will be made.
They shared that the crisis extends beyond salaries and into basic working conditions; some allege that the situation has deteriorated to a point where even essential sanitary facilities have been affected.
They claim that at one point, toilets did not have sanitary bins, forcing female staff and students to dispose of sanitary pads in red waste plastics, a situation they described as both undignified and unpleasant.
So severe is the financial strain that the university has, at times, had to borrow money from its sister institutions in Mozambique and Lesotho to meet its obligations in Botswana.
The institution’s physical downsizing has also suggested that it might be trying to reduce costs. Once located in the prime area of Block 7, Gaborone, the university has since relocated to a less prominent site near the bus rank.
At the heart of this crisis is a drastic decline in student enrolment, as figures previously shared with this publication reveal a steep drop over the years.
In 2013, the university had a student population of 7,247. By 2015, the number had fallen to 3,800, and further declined to 3,142 in 2016, while maintaining a staff complement designed to serve more than 7,000 students.
By 2022, enrolment had plummeted to just 1,633 students. Of those, 877 were expected to graduate in May of that year, leaving the institution with fewer than 1,500 students thereafter.
Inside sources say that coming into this year, the University enrolments have significantly gone down, and with the way things are going, there are no signs of resurrection unless great interventions are made.
The shrinking numbers have had a direct impact on staffing, as employees had to be let go through the years as part of efforts to remain viable.
Some employees believe external factors may also have contributed to the institution’s crisis, saying the death of the university’s founder, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr Limkokwing, had a significant impact, with some insiders suggesting that his leadership and influence were central to the institution’s success.
Others point to possible political dynamics, alleging that the university enjoyed strong relations with one former Botswana president during its peak years.
According to these claims, the institution’s fortunes began to shift after that leadership changed, with some suggesting that the once-close ties played a role in its earlier growth.
The decline in enrolment has also meant reduced government support, as funding tied to student sponsorship continues to shrink in line with falling numbers.
Efforts to obtain comment from the university have so far been unsuccessful as the institution no longer has a Public Relations office, and enquiries were this week directed to Marketing Manager, Tutu.
However, repeated calls to her phone went unanswered, and messages sent had not been responded to by press time.