EDITORIAL: NSFAF needs heart surgery
A debate raged among young people this week about whether those funded by the Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) should pay back the loans, as per the contracts they have signed. It’s not a new debate. Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) member of parliament Inna Hengari conceded not too long ago that she has not paid back her study loan, after being exposed by higher education minister Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi in the full glare of TV cameras.
Hengari postulated that she won’t pay NSFAF back in its current messy state. A cheap excuse, perhaps!
Proponents of paying back the loans drove home the point of sustainability, saying the fund, when in a healthy financial state, would be able to cater to future generations. Fair point.
But in October 2015, late president Hage Geingob said: “Going forward, we should move away from loans to a grant system. It was not there [before], it was introduced by someone. We should give children grants, so they don’t graduate in debt".
The last bit of his remark is particularly poignant. As matters stand, scores of unemployed graduates on our streets are already in debt due to the NSFAF loan.
Geingob was a man of good ideas. Too bad he often failed to translate his words into action. And he is no longer here to account for his kind promise.
What is true is that NSFAF needs to undergo heart surgery. It’s an important institution, but it’s hard to defend its current modus operandi. We need a resolution.
Hengari postulated that she won’t pay NSFAF back in its current messy state. A cheap excuse, perhaps!
Proponents of paying back the loans drove home the point of sustainability, saying the fund, when in a healthy financial state, would be able to cater to future generations. Fair point.
But in October 2015, late president Hage Geingob said: “Going forward, we should move away from loans to a grant system. It was not there [before], it was introduced by someone. We should give children grants, so they don’t graduate in debt".
The last bit of his remark is particularly poignant. As matters stand, scores of unemployed graduates on our streets are already in debt due to the NSFAF loan.
Geingob was a man of good ideas. Too bad he often failed to translate his words into action. And he is no longer here to account for his kind promise.
What is true is that NSFAF needs to undergo heart surgery. It’s an important institution, but it’s hard to defend its current modus operandi. We need a resolution.
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