University protests a headache to the wrong people
ALLEN'S NEK – Several protests at universities are leaving potential students in despair.
The recent student unrest in major tertiary institutions have resulted in a national outcry from parents and hopeful students.
Recently, hundreds of students at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) held a protest over the increasing problems with funding and registration. The students were reportedly promised academic funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), but are now being forced to pay outstanding fees from previous academic years.
One such student that has been affected by the unrest, is Tshiamo Mathole, a third-year student at Wits. The Allen’s Nek resident has been studying Information Technology, and has been receiving financial support from NSFAS but has fallen victim to the abrupt cut on that.
“It is just frustrating at this point, a lot of students were already struggling from a couple of years ago with NSFAS, but I think now we are just as frustrated.” Although she is not directly taking part in the protests, Mathole understands the frustrations of so many of her fellow class and schoolmates.
NSFAS covers full funding for students who qualify and pass the NSFAS means test. This assesses their family’s ability to pay something toward their studies. The amount can cover full tuition fees, accommodation, meals, books and travel.
In recent years, however, students have been left with uncertainty on whether or not they will receive funding. This also, often, puts the universities in difficult positions where they want to enroll students but are concerned about the costs of enrollment.
