We urge the Finance Committee of Council (FinCo) to accommodate non NSFAS and non-bursary students with historical debt of more than R20 000 to be able to register for the current academic year along with those graduating in 2020. Currently students are busy with registrations for the new academic year and those not on NSFAS could face financial exclusion and could end up not registering if they fail to pay their outstanding debt.
Currently the Wits SRC has played an important role towards probing the University to roll out the Acknowledgement of debt (AOD) for students owing less than R15 000. This has allowed students to register and waive their initial payment provided they can prove that their debt will be settled [1] as it stands this service is widely utilized by those who can afford and can prove that they will be able to clear their historical debt and has ensured many are saved from financial exclusion.
However, the fee crisis students are faced with around this time of the year demonstrates the shortcomings of the department of higher education and training (DHET) following the nationwide #FeesMustFall movement. The DHET has managed to clear historic debt of over 52 000 students who are currently funded by NSFAS [3]. This still fails to resolve the financial exclusion crisis in institutions of higher learning as students who fail to acquire funding from NSFAS and are from non- middle-class backgrounds are excluded from higher learning.
Non NSFAS and non-bursary students who fail to secure funding have their futures negatively affected as the reality of financial exclusion draws closer. Bursary and funding institutions such as NSFAS receive close to 20 000 applications yearly of which more than 70 338 are first time Wits university entrants, according to 2018 statistics [2] this proves that the scheme cannot be able to cover the costs of all its applicants, thus more students are left without financial assistance
Why is this important?
Lungelo Malevu, holding a BSc in Biological Sciences is one of many from Wits University who currently have historical debt
“I owe R135 893.28 and the university has withheld my degree and I only have access to my unofficial transcript. This is a challenge because I cannot apply for a number of jobs since there is no proof that I have completed my degree”
Portia Mosime, hoping to register for her final year in Psychology
“my mother is unemployed but we survive through the money she makes from her vegetable garden which supplies her community with fresh veggies, however she makes less than R500 a month this is not enough to cover the outstanding debt at Wits amounting to R76 117.81”
Students often financially excluded from institutions of higher learning are black female students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. They account for close to 58% in universities and 57% in TVET colleges [4]. The lack of access to funding opportunities for higher learning affects them the most.
Following the efforts made by the SRC and other important organizations, these testimonies should motivate people to add their names to this campaign to put more pressure on the financial committee (FinCo) as they are the ones responsible for determining the fees to be paid by students. Ultimately this should end the unequal access to institutions of higher learning affecting poor black South African youth. The efforts by NSFAS and other funding schemes can only assist a certain number of students, this further reduces the rate at which graduates enter the job market.
Despite unemployment rates being high, the critical work of doctors and nurses requires a surplus of recent graduates based on the demands of the job. If a medical degree student fails to clear their historic debt they cannot graduate and enter the job market, potentially changing people’s lives. These dreams end up not being a reality.
Therefore, the more support this campaign gains, the fight against academic exclusion due to finances is kept alive, students around this time are in distress and often end up further getting themselves into more debt and stress way before the academic year starts. Adding your name to this campaign at this moment ensures that the relevant decision makers can act now and implement these demands before the month comes to an end. This means that students with historic debt can continue with their studies.
References
[1] Wits Vuvuzela, 2019 Accessed here:
https://www.wits.ac.za/registration/returning-undergraduate-students/
[2] Takalani Sioga for the Wits Vuvuzela. 3 August 2018. Accessed here:
https://www.witsvuvuzela.com/2018/08/03/nsfas-tells-2019-applicants-to-wait/
[3] Michael Pedro for EWN, 2019. Accessed here:
https://www.google.com/amp/s//ewn.co.za/2019/03/24/dhet-allocates-r697m-to-nsfas-to-settle-historic-debt-owed-to-universities/amp
[4] South African Market. 12 November 2019 Category: Education accessed here:
https://www.southafricanmi.com/education-statistics.html
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