WINDHOEK – The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) spokesperson Job Shipululo Amupanda raised funds for several financially struggling students at the University of Namibia (Unam).
Amupanda who is the SPYL Secretary for Information and Mobilization garnered the funds to assist various Unam students who have unsettled debts, to enable them to sit for their final exams.
Although the exams started on Tuesday, no student missed out because the Unam management last week on Friday unexpectedly announced that all students with outstanding accounts would be allowed to sit for the final exams, and that results would only be withheld until such time they settle their debts.
According to a circular in possession of New Era, management also decided that students with outstanding fees would not be allowed to register for the 2015 academic year until they settle their 2014 fees plus the required deposit for the 2015 academic year.
Equally no students will be awarded their qualifications until they settle their debts.
Initially, Unam threatened to take “legal action” to recover the money owed by students.
For the past few years, Unam has persistently denied students with outstanding tuition fees permission to write the final exams until they settled their debts.
Due to this policy many students over the years ended up scrambling for financial aid to settle their debts at the eleventh hour.
Last week, students approached Amupanda to assist them raise funds and this prompted him to start a fundraising campaign on social media.
Amupanda’s campaign gained quick momentum mainly from his colleagues and friends whereby an amount of N$12 000 was raised.
“It is common knowledge that our students are having difficulty in funding their education. Several students approached me to mobilize assistance for it was clear, as is orthodox, that students will not be allowed to sit for exams. For those that approached me, in my personal capacity, I had and am still busy mobilising funds, at the personal level, for them to settle their fees. At present, I have mobilized a total of N$12 000 from friends and colleagues for this purpose,” Amupanda said.
Unam in consultation with Amupanda agreed that the raised funds be transferred into the custodian of the Student Representative Council (SRC), particularly their Student Assistance Fund.
The SRC, as discussed and as agreed, will then distribute money to the identified students that are in need of settling their accounts.
Unam spokesperson, Johannes Haufiku, yesterday told New Era that the university budgeted N$500 000 to be channelled towards the student fund.
“We see that students come from different socio-economic backgrounds. Hence the money was set aside to assist all needy students who owe the university using a certain criteria in exception of those with government loans, bursaries and scholarships. It is mainly meant for students in need of financial assistance who have demonstrated commitment towards their academic work,” Haufiku noted.
Amupanda said there will be further contributions to be directly deposited into the SRC Fund through the university cashier.