EFF statement on withheld student qualifications as a result of student debt
24 Marcy 2021
The EFF notes with shock and awe, the number of students who have had their qualifications withheld from them as a result of debt owed to institutions of higher learning. In a response to a question written for oral reply by the EFF, Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande indicated that for the past ten years, 106 494 students, as reported by 21 out of the 26 public universities, are unable to get their qualifications as a result of student debt. The total amount owed by these students according to the Minister is R10 403 730 362.60.
The institutions that are responsible for the highest debt have a predominantly black in student populous, and the amounts that they expect from students who have completed their qualifications is staggering.
The Central University of Technology demands an amount of R1 782 552 433.72 to give 12 985 students their qualifications, while the University of Fort Hare demands an amount of R285 977 088 from 5 922 students and the University of Johannesburg demands a shocking amount of R537 674 00 from 7 722 students who have completed their qualifications.
The implications of these students not having access to their qualifications has far reaching implications not only on themselves as individuals, but on national and continental developmental prospects.