Once
the School of Information Sciences is mentioned, what comes into your mind? A digital
place where every piece of information is available and easily accessible? Aperfect
school whose students get updated concerning everything that happens in and around,
probably even before it happens? This can only be true to someone else rather
than a stakeholder in the school.
On
Monday 4th August 2014, the Moi University Information Sciences
Students Association (MUISSA) conducted its elections. New student leaders were
elected and expected to take over the executive office immediately, especially
since the previous office was disbanded due to a few reasons. Ten days have now
elapsed and the school has made no communication about who was elected into
which position. No paper on the notice board, no information in the school’s
website; no handing over has taken place and that is the digital school.
On
the same day, the school received a new dean; Prof.Justus Wamukoya. However,
most students in the school are still not aware about this. It is not
surprising because no communication has been made so far concerning the same. The
school’s website still recognizes Prof. Japheth Otike as the dean and anyone can
verify this by following this link:
The
organization of the election exercise itself was characterized by lack of transparency
and publicity, resulting in a very low turnout on the voting day. Esther is my
classmate, a fourth year media student in the school. She received a notification
encouraging her to vote as the exercise was on-going and this was her response, “Mi hata sikuwa najua (elections) ni leo &
now it’s raining jameni”
On
8th July, the association released a memo which was inviting
applications for the formation of MUISSA editorial office which includes the
editor-in-chief, associate editor, online editor among other members and the
interviews were also scheduled for 4th August, 2014. Eligible
candidates applied and until today, 13th, they are still patiently waiting.
No interview has been conducted, no further information given and the story
seems to die as the semester comes to an end.
Just
like any other school in main campus, the delay in release of results
transcripts has become normal. Current fourth years only have results for their
first and second years of study while third year students only know about their
first year results. It is more pathetic to the current second years, who do not
even have an idea about how a result transcript looks like. This is
unrealistic, especially considering the fact that the digital school has a very
low population of 666 students at the moment.
Usually,
each student in the school is entitled to two academic trips in the course of
his/her studies; one in second year and the other in fourth. Charges for the
same are usually incorporated in the tuition fee payment. As at now, current
fourth years are in demand for their final trip, third years never had their
first trip and so want it now, while second years are giving a warning not to
have theirs delayed too. Now which group should be attended first before this
semester ends?
The
school trains students in such fields as media, library, records management and
Information Technology. The combination of such undergraduates and their
lecturers gives rise to information wizards who can digitally compile and
disseminate information with ease, but the situation at hand is a very
different one.
