*NSFAS Ministerial Committee Review will open the doors of White Universities for Blacks *
*17 March 2010* The Young Communist League of South Africa (uFasimba) notes the response by the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande on the released NSFAS Ministerial Committee review report. This widely anticipated report is welcomed by the YCLSA and we also welcome the number of key issues that are highlighted for immediate implementation. The report, in our view, will open the doors of historically white universities by increasing funding for black and poor students who are currently excluded by high university fees which the NSFAS could previously not fully cover. This, in our view, will force historically white universities such as Stellenbosch and Cape Town to open their doors for black students. The recommendations will come as a relief to students who are highly indebted to the NSFAS, remains unemployed and has witnessed their loan increase due to interest rates. We also commend the committee in ensuring that the NSFAS is critically assessed and that both shortcomings and challenges were thoroughly interrogated. We have seen how a number of previously disadvantaged students failed to access NSFAS due to tedious administration and inconsistency with regards to requirements for one to qualify. The YCLSA welcomes the emphasis placed on reviewing the Loan recovery process, which has seen a number of students being disadvantaged as a result of them being unfairly blacklisted. Most of these students have not even entered the job market, but are already cursed with a permanent financial burden. The road towards free education is becoming clearer as the report clearly speaks about conducting a needs analysis of students who will require financial aid in the short, medium and long terms. The Minister of Higher Education unambiguously affirms that the recommendations made are informed by government’s commitment towards providing free undergraduate education to students from poor families who would otherwise not be able to pursue further or higher education. A lot of young people are left stranded at the beginning of the year not as a result of their performance in matric, but mostly due to the exorbitant fees charged by Institutions of Higher learning. This affirms government’s commitment towards free education. The report also recommends changes to the policy, regulations and operational framework of the NSFAS, including the distribution formula for the allocation of financial aid to institutions. This recommendation is highly applauded by the YCLSA as the gap between historically white and black institutions is unequal, evident and unacceptable. Universities such as that of Venda and Limpopo (Turfloop) need to be prioritised in terms of fund allocation. Most students who study within these institutions are from poor backgrounds and their parents have no or little means of income, hence we called for NSFAS to further cover all the necessities as well as the registration fee, over and above tuition and accommodation. The YCLSA affirms its stance on free education and will work closely with the DHE in order to ensure that the recommendations are implemented. We will continue to interrogate the report further and make necessary contributions. *Issued by the YCLSA Head Office* *Contact * *Gugu Ndima (0767831516)* *National spokesperson* -- Gugu Ndima +27 76 783 1516 -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
