The South African Students Congress (SASCO) is disappointed by the move of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to unfund a total of 5000 students. As an organisation we view this move not only as an inhumane act but as an act that seeks to deepen student struggles in the post schooling and training sector. Moreover, SASCO is angered by this decision that comes during the times of covid-19 and Lockdown of economic activities where many small medium enterprises are at the blink of their collapse, where unemployment rates are on the continuous rise and inequalities continue to widen.
SASCO interprets this move as but another exposition of control systems and incompetence of the financial scheme as headed by DR Randall. The capacity of the state is also being undermined in that they are displaying that our institutions together with their decisions are unquestionable and are taken without prior verification of information. We call on the minister to speedily appoint the board to mitigate tormenting of our poor and working-class students.
SASCO calls for the following measures to be considered;
1. Use the system progressively to determine funding of students and avoid the dehumanizing process of proving how poor you are for you to be funded by the government.
2. Reversal of unfunding 5000 students by NSFAS.
3. Funding of all students with the family income of up to R600 000.
4. Speedily appoint the board of NSFAS that has a track record of activism and that is pro poor and working class, so we can rate NSFAS based on its Annual Performance Plans.
As an organisation we firmly believe that government cannot be on the forefront of persecution of working class and poor masses of our people. Whilst we welcome the strides made to strengthen the institutions capacity to fund and run its means test, we caution the outgoing Administrator of NSFAS Dr. Randall not test our strength as a movement and the people.
Strengthening of NSFAS security measures must not be done to frustrate students and their already families. If Randall had full confidence on this SARS matter then he wouldn’t be subjecting students to petition and such systems cannot be piloted in the midst of a pandemic and at a time of uncertainty, he must not dare campaign for office by electing to frustrate students.
Issued by SASCO NEC
Bamanye Matiwane
President
079 026 5759
President@sasco.co.za
Buthanani Ngwane
Secretary General
073 257 5677
Sg@sasco.co.za
For Enquiries:
Luvuyo Barnes
Media and Communication Liaison
079 393 7131
F: SASCO National | T: SASCO_Jikelele | IG: SASCO_NATIONAL | www.sasco.co.za
2 Comments. Leave new
Good day
So what support are there for these defunded students now? Continuous struggle to try and get it sorted at NSFAS, but no success. Universities are starting to cancell the first semester modules since it is not paid. These defunded students’ lifes have been turned upside down and they are living in constant fear, stress and uncertainty about their future and if they will be able to study any further and trying to create a better future for themselves. What is going to happen to these poor students? They need support and someone who are willing to fight for them. This unfair decision of NSFAS to stop their funding in the middle of the year during very difficult times with COVID as well, have a huge, lifechanging negative impact on most of their lifes and future careers.
I am currently a first-year student at NMU and I was also one of the students the were recently unfunded based on income. I even sent them more proof that there is no income coming in as they claimed but was met with the same response, that I am declined based on a high income. I stay with my gran who is 95 years old. Both my parents are not working and are not receiving a salary, I do not even reside with them. I don’t know what I need to send anymore. I’m stressed and distracted from my studies. I am passed my first semester well but this has knocked me off balance constantly thinking about how I am going to firstly fund my studies for next year and secondly how I must know payback 2020 tuition fees.