Insufficiency of Thesis Supervisors

For the past years I've been surrounded by highly frustrated PhD and Masters candidates. Many of them complain of insufficiency and effective of Supervisors in guiding them in accomplishing their task and fulfilling their dream of writing a eloquent thesis.

Right here next to me are two guyz who are also faced with similar case and I just can't sit down like a spectator. Our Brothers and Sister are dedicating their valuable time and energy in drafting and writing thesis everyday with no supervisor guidance. They keep on neglecting their duties while earning as ghost workers. This is academic crime which is intolerable by me as a growing eLearning Champion. Three weeks without feedback from a supervisor is total negligence and there's no justifiable excuse for it. Supervisors must just be restricted from Supervising more than three candidates per semester to avoid overloading of work to supervisors since they are also lecturing during day time.

Our institutions should design a commitment form for both Supervisor and Students to sign under Oath that they will mutually work with each other until the thesis is submitted and accepted by Varsity department council as good enough for a candidate to graduate.A draft programme should accompany this document and must be agreed upon by both parties involved.

I suggest that, Deans, Head of Department, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Head of research Unit should should spearhead this process and form part of this committee as it seek to dent the image of some South African Institutions of Higher Learning. The Varsity Senate Council should also adopt this as a strategy to provoke confidence to these candidates and to safe guard them in the same time.

Candidates are loosing their sponsors money because of taking too long to complete their thesis at the stipulated time and others are being sued for breach of contract for the afore- mentioned reasons.

"Education to Us means a Service to Africa", Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe.