Campaign message to OsloMet students .
Towards students parliament election at Oslo Metropolitan University 2019.
I am a 24 year old international student from Zimbabwe
(Africa) doing my first year of a Masters in International Education and
Development. I studied a BSc Honours in Economics at The University of Zimbabwe
where I gained a solid background in student activism and welfare from a
fragile state where it a taboo to be a voice of reason. Despite the risks
associated with advocacy in my parent country , due to my empathetic and
sympathetic nature I kept on standing for the truth and goodness for the
betterment of the maximum many. I wish to be accorded the same opportunity to
keep representing students for this is a natural calling to self-sacrifice. My
international perspective and global approach to issues may add great value to
our Students Parliament.
Being an international student born in the technology
generation with a greater commonality with millennials born in a time where the
climate change discourse is selling like hot cakes , also coming from a
background where democracy is in short supply as compared to the demand on the
market place of ideas. I have a heartily
passion to champion, but not limited to the cause of
internationalisation, sustainability and better students democracy at this
prestigious university, OsloMet.
Together with you, I want to sacrifice to heartily champion
the agenda of the removal or the loosening up of annual stringent requirements
for international students to produce bank statements and visa processes using both internal and external remedies premised
upon engagement of local and external authorities.
Together with you, I am going to push for the widening, or
the expansion of the current capacity to access
free Norwegian language courses for all OsloMet students. I
appreciate that the existing similar
arrangement is very necessary, but not sufficient enough for all students at
OsloMet in need of the facility.
Together with you, I am going to push for a domestic and permanent
solution to ensure a fixed number of permanent seats in the students parliament
for internationals, given that the current state of affairs guarantees equality
of representation but does not guarantee equity due to the issue of language as
an inevitable barrier. The above move helps to allow full and organic
representation of specific interests from the affected direct communities.
We need to widen representative opportunities to ALL
students.
Together with you, I also want to push for a better
communication on current events and
information through various platforms and literature including provision of local news in English and other languages.
Together with you, I shall make it a point that we
negotiate, lobby and convince the administration to expand capacity and variety
of both bachelors and master programmes offered in English to widen the
sovereignty and basket of choice for English speakers. This may not benefit you
and me in the short run, but future generation of students who will come after
us.
Together with you, we will fight for a more guaranteed and
substantiated access to Norwegian taught courses’ exams to be allowable in
English to allow full expression and maximum potential from students.
Also, together, we shall guarantee an enhanced and
synergistic relationship and contact between the business community and government branches with
OsloMet students for greater job opportunities , networks and apprenticeships.
Together, we shall negotiate for the expansion of current
capacity on the budgets offered to
campus organisations and lessen the application and approval bureaucracy and time
periods.
Together, we shall push for the opening up of new avenues
and exchange opportunities for all programmes at OsloMet including master
programmes that are currently not offering that opportunity.
I shall push for the improvement on access to social events
to eradicate depression related suicides and depression related diseases and
effects.
Also, I shall push for a greater network, participation and
contribution of OsloMet students in the global discourse on eradicating climate
change and global warming by twinning our university organisation with various
other organisations that do the same inside and outside Norway, to as far as
Africa. This is one of my key interest areas and I currently work with an
organisation called Green Africa Project from Zimbabwe that champion the cause
against climate change.
Due to limited space , the above issues, but not limited to
the typed words shall be some of my focus areas that I shall make sure results
are seen, for I am confident that together we can move mountains, myself alone
cannot do that, but together we can.
Where unity is present mountains are conquerable. You can
check for my further works on my Facebook and Instagram account both titled
“Treasure Basopo”, you can also follow my YouTube channel “Cde Treasure Basopo”
, email me at
basopotreasure@gmail.com
or take a simple google search for my background check.
A luta continua.
