Erasmus Shalihaxwe
A member of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) and member of Parliament, Maximilliant Katjimune and Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO) president Dorthea Nangolo called on the government to settle all outstanding debts for all graduates, rather than limiting the intervention to those who graduated in April 2024.
Their appeal follows a recent directive by the Cabinet, through the Ministry of Higher Education and Innovation, instructing the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) to write off the outstanding debts of April 2024 graduates.
This measure is intended to allow these graduates to obtain their qualifications and secure employment.
“One would first question why this progressive intervention is only applicable to the April/May 2024 graduates. We know that many qualifications of many graduates, not only the April/May 2024 ones, have been withheld by institutions of higher learning due to outstanding fees. So the intervention should be broadened to assist more,” Katjimune asked.
He is one of the lawmakers who has been vocal on the issue over the years, pleading with the government to write off students’ debts.
“We still have our strongly held view that graduates should not graduate into debt. Many of our graduates come from poor black families and they are often the first ones to go to university in efforts to break the cycle of generational poverty. So the fact that this is a loan, rather than assistance with no strings from the government, is unfortunate,’’ Katjimune stated.
Nangolo echoed Katjimune’s concerns, saying the student body had engaged with the Ministry of Higher Education and Innovation before the announcement.
She revealed that the student body had proposed a broader solution.
‘’We are very happy with the decision, but if you see our correspondence with the minister, our initial plan was for the ministry to allow all graduates to receive their qualifications. We proposed the ministry absorb all debts and not for graduates to sign a contract with NSFAF to pay back payback in the form of a loan. However, it’s a step in the right direction even though it does not alleviate student debts, but it will allow graduates to secure employment,’’ said Nangolo.
The Cabinet last week approved and directed that the outstanding debts of April/May 2024 graduates, as submitted to the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), will be settled by NSFAF as loans to the graduates.
April/May 2024 graduates with outstanding debts are requested to first engage with NSFAF to sign the required contracts.
Once this process is completed, they can collect their academic documents and certificates from their respective HEIs upon presenting proof of signed contracts.
