Despair turns to hope for students

Security guards prevent protesting students from blocking the entrance at the Johannesburg University(UJ) in Auckland Park. Students protested the payment of registration fees. Picture: Itumeleng English 11.01.2016 227

Security guards prevent protesting students from blocking the entrance at the Johannesburg University(UJ) in Auckland Park. Students protested the payment of registration fees. Picture: Itumeleng English 11.01.2016 227

Published Jan 22, 2016

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Johannesburg - When Thabiso Mahloko first stepped into Wits, he felt it heralded a life free from constant worries at home. The days of agonising about how his single mother was going to make ends meet, he thought, would soon end.

A mining engineering first-year student, Mahloko was well aware that he could ill-afford to falter in his studies. If he didn’t succeed, he faced the grim prospect of going back to poverty.

The 22-year-old was determined not to allow his socio-economic background to dictate his future. But then, after initially applying for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding in 2014, which was approved to allow him to register for first year, his world was turned upside down.

“The problem started when I went to get my results at the end of the year,” he recalled.

“When I got to Wits, they said I did not sign a loan agreement form for funding.

“Despite that, I had a letter of approval that I registered with. I was then told I have to settle all the fees incurred for the year before I could get results and register for second year.”

In total, Mahloko owes the university R81 000 for tuition and residence fees and he was prevented from registering for his second year of study last year.

He is just one of the many faces of university financial and academic exclusions who have been suffering in silence for years. Last year, Mahloko stood to benefit from the Wits SRC’s One Million One Month campaign to register financially needy students, but the money raised was still not enough to cover the 2 788 students who did not receive NSFAS.

He is also one of the close to 72 000 students countrywide who have either been unfunded registered students who qualified or could not be assisted in the past three years, according to the Department of Higher Education and Training.

As student protests across universities continued last week under the #FeesMustFall banner, but now aimed at financial and academic exclusions, Mahloko was watching from his home in Daveyton with a sense of disillusionment and despair.

Although he was reluctant to talk about his personal circumstances, he gradually opened up.

“I can’t even begin to explain how devastated I have been for the year I've spent at home doing nothing while not long ago things were looking so promising for me,” he said.

“It has been a major point of distress even in my family because my mother has worked hard to get me this far and to give me a better future. But I have kept hope because I am from a religious family.”

Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande said last week that for the 2013 to 2015 academic year, the historic debt for NSFAS students would be paid with R2.54 billion committed by the government. Nzimande said this would help over 71 000 students but they would have to repay the debt once they started working.

He said financial exclusion would be dealt with by the commission of inquiry set up by President Jacob Zuma to look into higher education funding and related issues.

SA Student Congress president Thabo Moloja said a call was being made to two groups of students to come forward for help.

“The two groups are those who have graduated but cannot get their qualifications because of outstanding fees owed to universities - government is going to pay for them,” he said.

“The other group is those students from the 2013, 2014, and 2015 academic years who qualified for NSFAS but did not get money or were without full payment - they will be paid for as well.”

And an encouraged Mahloko made a passionate plea on Thursday as he hoped to return to campus this week to continue working on his future.

“All I want now is an opportunity to study, to finish my course, but obviously I have debt now that has to be settled,” he said.

“I'm looking for help from wherever, especially from the government, because I am part of those less privileged it seeks to assist with this new commitment.”

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The Star

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