Lifeline for NSFAF ‘dumped students’

THE higher education ministry has confirmed a funding commitment for more than 12 000 students who were left stranded by the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund a few months ago.

A statement issued on Wednesday by the ministry’s spokesperson, Selma Ngola, said the ministry had reached an agreement to allow eligible NSFAF students to register for the second semester at their institutions.

She explained that the recent development came after a committee was set up to identify additional funds to pay for the NSFAF-funded students.

Ngola added that the ministry had requested NSFAF to publish the names of eligible students through their institutions.

The NSFAF announced in May that they could only fund 2 925 first-year students from a group of more than 15 000 students who qualified for funding because the national students fund had incurred a N$641 million shortfall. The fund received 24 700 applications for funding this year, but around 9 600 students did not meet the funding requirements. With an allocation of over N$1 billion, the student fund was only able to assist returning students and 2 925 new students, leaving 12 000 stranded.

The ministry’s statement came two days after the secretary general of the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso), Simon Taapopi, issued a note to inform affected students about the latest developments.

Meanwhile, NSFAF’s chief human capital officer Olavi Hamwele on Wednesday clarified to The Namibian that NSFAF will only be funding 12 162, and not 12 624 students, as mentioned by Nanso.

The University of Namibia (Unam)’s Students Representative Council (SRC) president, Kudzai Sibanda, welcomed the development.

He said 6 000 Unam students were part of the affected group.

Unam posted on their social media on Tuesday that students on the newly released list should expect their names to be posted on the university portal.

Namibia University of Science and Technology’s registrar, Moss Garde, said the executive committee had agreed to extend the institution’s registration period to 26 July.

“This will facilitate students to register in light of the delayed release of sponsored student lists by the NSFAF,” said Garde.

The International University of Management’s SRC president, Epaphras Ngolo, was also jubilant over the latest news, but expressed concern about the fate of the institution’s privately funded students.

“It’s so hurtful and worrisome that private institutions’ mature age applicants and those who applied with National Qualifications Framework level 5 qualifications are not being funded,” he lamented.

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