Nanso budget ‘should go to students’

STUDENTS from various tertiary education institutions taking part in a march in Windhoek today say the N$500 000 in funding that the government has allocated to the Namibian National Students Organisation should be diverted to students in need of funding for their studies.

The students marched to the head office of the Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) in Windhoek’s Eros area to hand over a petition to the fund’s management.

While reading the petition, Nanso vice president Bernard Kavau said the budget given to the student organisation by the ministry of higher education should be diverted to fund the 12 000 students left without NSFAF funding.

“We are all needy and poor. Our parents fought for this country and we didn’t all have the opportunity to study,” he said.

The group demanded that the current NSFAF board should be removed and replaced, and charged that the board did not have the interests of students at heart.

“The minister of higher education must resign, as she is causing more harm to students and bringing division among student leaders,” Kavau said.

The Nanso vice president further demanded that the student fund pay all outstanding tuition and non-tuitions fees, dated back to 2017, and NSFAF should only have one chief executive.

“The other CEO’s payment must be diverted to student funding,” he said.

NSFAF CEO Hiluya Nghiwete has been suspended from her post since April last year.

Other demands include that all fishing rights holders and mining companies must contribute 5% of their profits to student funding, and mature-age students should be allowed to apply to both private and public educational institutions.

Kavau added that all accredited diploma courses at all institutions must be funded by NSFAF.

The students gave the student fund until 15 June to meet their demands or else they will take unspecified further action.

The petition was received by NSFAF’s acting CEO Kennedy Kandume, who said the fund would study the document before responding to it.

NSFAF is allocated N$1,138 billion in the government’s budget for the 2019/20 financial year.

The fund announced in a statement last week that out of 15 087 new students who have met the minimum requirements for funding, only 2 925 would receive financing from NSFAF this academic year.