2017-12-18Staff Report 2 Kuzeeko Tjitemisa Windhoek-The Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) has agreed to honour all outstanding student balances by today, Namibia National Students’ Organisation (NANSO) secretary general Simon Taapopi revealed last Friday. This came days after institutions of higher learning decided to withhold student’s final academic results due to outstanding debts. The majority of these students, who are still in the dark as to whether they have passed their final November examinations, are NSFAF funded. Taapopi said NSFAF made a second commitment to honour all outstanding student balances by today. According to him, the University of Namibia (Unam) has, in writing, agreed to the second commitment made by NSFAF and has committed two staff members to be on standby to release the examination results upon receiving the outstanding balance from NSFAF today. He said the student union believes Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), International University of Management (IUM) and other institutions will also avail examination results as soon as they are paid. He said NANSO is convinced that if NSFAF, honours their commitment to pay institutions by today, students’ examination results will be accessible, on the same date. “We reaffirm our call to the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation to facilitate a high level committee between institutions of higher learning, NANSO, NSFAF and Ministry of Finance to ensure that,” he said. The student union also called upon President Hage Geingob to establish a commission to undertake a study into the feasibility of fee-free higher tertiary education with student accommodation and abolishment of registration fees as terms of reference. “We make this call after realising that the annual increase of fees continues to exclude more students from accessing tertiary education,” he said. He said NANSO shall continue to advocate for access to higher education, and remain critical of the state of higher education. “The NANSO leadership has committed to rebuild, realign and reunite the revolutionary students’ movement to respond to the needs of all students across Namibia,” he said. 2017-12-18Staff Report 2
