MBOMBELA – Students from different TVET campuses in the province gathered in great numbers to deliver a memorandum of frustrations due to studies which were not funded, while some students alleged they had been paid only half their bursaries.
During the strike they chanted slogans like, “We don’t have money and we are not working, who killed Ehlanzeni?” as they filled the streets of Mbombela while heading to the Ehlanzeni District Office.
These journalists learnt that they were uncertain about their future since the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) was failing to pay their fees, and some students had dropped out due to this. Others suspected corruption in the department.
In February students from the same colleges went on strike regarding the same matter and hoped that their complaints would be heard.
A deaf pupil who was currently in her third year said, “They always make false promises. We need hearing aids, laptops and glasses and our monthly allowance. Sometimes they teach in class and I hear nothing at all since I was born deaf.”
Some students said they were not happy about the old infrastructure at their campuses. They said instead of being given the money that was promised them, they only received R365 for bus fare, which was not sufficient.
“Why did they promise to pay our fees, while knowing that they cannot afford it?” asked an electrical-engineering student, Ms Sihle Mkhwanati. This paper learnt that some student received R600 for food while it was supposed to be R1 000 and others did not get at all.
They said since the fourth term had started, attendance has drastically dropped. The SRC president for all TVET colleges in Mpumalanga, Mr Mxolisi Lubisi said that libraries had no books and they were concerned about the increasing rate of failing students.
“We want the government to remove people who are not doing their job.” Mr Mxolisi Nzimande of Ehlanzeni district said, “This is a national issue. They are not the only tertiary institution the NSFAS has failed to pay. All are affected.” This publication contacted the NSFAS offices in February and it confirmed that it was facing financial problems and would try to find ways to help students. However, not everyone would be funded.
