Poor registration service at Parow campus

<p>I had to visit Unisa Parow today to register for a studies today as their website had trouble with my registration. As a longtime Unisa student, I know better than to expect much from their staff, but today just reminded me why Unisa has the reputation it does.</p> <p> </p> <p>I arrived at 08:15 this morning and took a seat on a chair in the area where the student advisors work. Chaos. No coherent queue and no effort by Unisa's many "Queue marshalls" to create order. Eventually a couple of students took charge and eventually organised the queue.</p> <p> </p> <p>When I took my seat, I had a queue of about 30 people ahead of me. Not too bad, you would think.</p> <p> </p> <p>Wrong. I eventually left just before 12:00. It took about three and a half hours for the four advisors to process 30 queries. The last five people ahead of me in the queue took more than an hour to help.</p> <p> </p> <p>Being busy is one thing, but I had a lot of time with nothing to do but sit and watch these advisors go about their business.</p> <p>One spent a large portion of the 3.5 hours that I was watching her reading the You magazine.</p> <p><br />Another had a perpetual flock of staff members around her, typically 4-6 people, with whom she joked and laughed for a while (about 15 minutes or so) between helping each student, meaning that much of the time there were really only three (or less) advisors helping people. These ladies and gents were casually walking around, sipping their coffee and looking like they were on holiday.</p> <p>Not like they were working for a short staffed and poorly organised university during its busiest time of the year.</p> <p> </p> <p>When I eventually reached the front of the queue I arrived in front of the more social advisor and her gaggle. "Student number!" she barks, after I describe my enquiry. After repeating myself three times, she starts typing at her keyboard for about 5 minutes in silence. She gives me a piece of paper, gets up and walks away without a word. I stand around in mild confusion, waiting for further direction. She looks over to me and says "You're registered". I try to thank her but shes already turned back around again.</p> <p> </p> <p>Come on Unisa, please sort out your people. Us students are paying so much money in the hope of making something more of ourselves, but all we get is disrespect and poor service. I want to believe in Unisa, you are what our country needs and the key to building a better future for everyone, but how can we have pride in an institution that acts like this.</p>