Fort Hare students denied promised funding 

17 May 2016

The DA has learnt that the process regarding debt clearance and financial aid for students at the University of Fort Hare was shut down yesterday. 

According to Lai-wing Alberto, the head of Financial Aid at Fort Hare, the agreements could not be signed due to university funds having been exhausted.

This will leave poor students without the funding that they were promised and again highlights the chronic lack of funding in higher education, and in particular, the poor financial management of this historic university. 

The DA will be seeking urgent answers from the University management of a number of key questions:

- Did the University use NSFAS grants for university operating expenses like they have been found to have done before?

- Why is the process still continuing in May and why has it not been finalised earlier?

- How are students going into exams with debts that have not been paid and without textbooks or even food? and 

- Where has the promised money gone? 

It is equally a travesty that while the money has dried up for students, expensive centenary celebrations – funded by the Provincial Government and Presidency – will continue this Friday. Heads of State, Ministers and the President himself will descend on the campus this week, with much fanfare. 

This is money that should rather be spent on helping those students in need. Indeed, the greatest tribute to the history of our iconic University is to provide funding to poor students, so that they can receive the education they need to pursue a life they value. 

To this end, the DA will not be participating in these expensive celebrations, until such stage as students are taken care of through financial support. 

Issued by Yusuf Cassim, DASO Leader, 17 May 2016