Dear Editor,
Access to education is a right and not a privilege. It is a well known fact that a majority of our black scholars and students are formally from previously disadvantaged families.
They are also from a legacy which has deprived them the right to better and quality education, thus having to be subjected to a Bantu education system.
Given the changes in the political landscape post 1994, we all hoped that the doors of learning shall be open to all freely as enshrined in the freedom charter "Education shall be free".
Access to tertiary education has been a continuing challenge, particularly to black students taking into cognisance the nature of our social background and status.
The costs of tertiary education are exorbitant in that a large number of prospective students have found themselves being denied the opportunity to pursue their respective careers.
Others are denied the opportunity to complete their studies as a result of financial exclusion, which is a trend amongst tertiary institutions. That is discriminatory and does not represent what our comrades and community at large fought and voted for.
The intervention by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a great initiative indeed.
It has, however, left millions of South African students/graduates with huge debts. These debts include relatively high interests which are to be subsequently paid back.
A majority of these students/graduates are struggling to get proper, decent and better compensating employment. Some of them are breadwinners making it difficult to payback whilst having to prioritise family related responsibilities and others are on internships/articles that are paying far less than expected.
Worse of all others are unemployed. While these situations prevail, NSFAS interests keep on escalating. The scheme largely generates funds from taxpayers, and it therefore becomes a cumbersome exercise to pay tax and repay NSFAS simultaneously.
By virtue of paying tax, one is actually making a contribution to this government scheme. Now, why should we be subjected to a double payment which to some extent contributes to the same scheme?
In view of our current economic conditions, characterised by high interest rates, high unemployment rate and high food prices, we are placed in a situation where we are unable to payback our NSFAS loans.
We therefore need to mobilise our government, the Department of Education in particular, to consider writing off these debts, and further ensure that the doors of higher learning shall be opened to all freely through state allowance and scholarships.
Jongizizwe Hansen Dlabathi
Springs
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