students pay doctors for laziness- the predicament of LOA's

Zama khumalo

Tweet: “Is it fair for others to pay themselves out of academic work?
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The "Duly Performed" rule applies to all academic departments at Rhodes University. Students are obliged to meet the DP requirements of each department. However, for some students the term DP and LOA (leave of absence letter) also stands for “I can pretend to be sick, because I can afford for a doctor to confirm me sick, when I am not”. Acquiring a leave of absence letter is made easier for students who can afford medical aid in Grahamstown.
It has come to my attention, disappointment and dismay at the number of students who miss their tutorials, and seek for a test or assignment extension, because they depend on a doctor’s certificate.
When the pressure is mounting and academic demands are escalating, students will turn to their medical aids for a doctor’s note to sign them off. Have you ever wondered why students who never attend tutorials, or hand in assignments on time still have their DP’s without warnings?
If you don’t have a doctor to pay you off, for lectures, tutorials and assignments in Grahamstown, then you are really out of luck, because the Sanatorium doesn’t dish out ‘leave of absence letters’ like hot cakes.
It is unfair and unjust that students who do not have medical aid and are rejected at the Sanatorium for a leave of absence, have to suffer the consequences of not having an LOA. We have all heard the saying “it’s chilled; I’ll just go the doctor and cough once or twice to get an LOA”.
I don’t have a solution for this increasingly common predicament amongst students, but university should aim to level the playing fields.