Namibian Students in Russia feel abandoned

SOME Namibian students in Russia and Ukraine are claiming that they feel abandoned, disrespected and insulted by the Ministry of Education, which allegedly delays paying out their bursaries.

The Government, through the Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund, supports 272 students in Russia and 28 in Ukraine.Students made their grievances known in two letters.’The ministry decided they will only pay out from the financial year of August, a situation which has left many students on loan to suffer financially as we solely depend on it,’ said one letter.’We have to pay tuition, books, transport, hostel accommodation and basic necessities like food.’Students have been lobbying for bursary payouts in April or May instead of August or September.’But none of them listen, I don’t know what’s the motive. This is [getting] out of hand. People have bread and tea for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Help us out please we beg of you,’ said a student.It seems there is also a break down of communication between the students and the authorities back home.’Some of the schools require us to pay hostel fees and part of our school fees before we go home for holiday to ensure we are coming back in order to receive exit visas,’ they said.Most of the students receive financial assistance ranging from US$4 500 [N$38 287] to US$9 000 [N$76 544] year, but according to the students concerned, it’s not enough. They say, on average, they spend about US$300 [N$2 494] a month on food and tuition ranges from US$4 000 to US$7 000, excluding hostel and medical insurance, books and transport.’Even those that receive US$9 000 find it difficult to survive on that money for a whole year, now imagine those getting US$4 500,’ reads the letter.The latest development and strained relationship between students and the ministry comes few weeks after the Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard Kamwi, reportedly said the University of Namibia (Unam) produces nurses who are ill-equipped for the job.Many Namibian medical students study in Russia.Statistics from the Ministry of Education show that 79 students in various fields have graduated from Russia in the past five years with government bursaries. The Namibian understands that 26 Namibian students are to graduate in Russia this year.Students in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are not the only ones complaining of being broke.This week, Informanté published a letter from a Cuban student who said some Namibian students in Cuba are turning to sex work due to late bursary payments by the ministry.Romeo Muyunda, the public relations officer at the Ministry of Education, said they pay students between September and August because their academic year ends in August.’We can only pay when they provide us with the results. The ministry has paid already for those whose files were updated,’ he said. Muyunda blamed students for not following procedures.’Before we pay everything should be in order but students contribute to this delay by not handing in necessary documents on time. Some of them change institutions without prior notice and approval from the ministry,’ he said.He ruled out changing the current payout system. ‘The system is not changing’, he said.