Sort out the mess of student monies

In this protest-overloaded country, it would be easy to dismiss reports that students around the country are boycotting and protesting the non-payment of their student loan money.

But, like the other demonstrations against state non-delivery or incompetence, these protests have their roots in a deeply unfair situation.

At the centre of the debacle is the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), the organisation which administers state aid to poor and deserving students at tertiary institutions.

According to the aggrieved students, NSFAS has failed to pay over money for tuition fees, accommodation costs and, worst of all, stipends for food.

Students are worrying about whether they will be evicted and going to lectures hungry. These are people, remember, who are struggling to free themselves from the yoke of poverty.

What makes the situation so nauseating is the lack of competence in the NSFAS administration – which is what caused an Eastern Cape student to be overpaid R14 million earlier this year.

It is difficult enough to move away from an impoverished community and study to improve your life without having to worry about your daily survival.

Our future businesspeople, doctors, lawyers and engineers deserve better. Message to the ministry of higher education: sort out this mess immediately.