GEORGE NEWS - The South Cape College students who protested at the head-office of the college yesterday (Thursday 8 September) were given documentation by the management in response to their memorandum that posed questions around unpaid accommodation grants in 2015.
The memorandum was handed over to the college principal, Elsie Potgieter during the protest.
Potgieter said late yesterday afternoon that the facts were again laid on the table for the students as was done during a previous meeting. "We again got all the necessary documentation and proof together to give to them. There was not sufficient money last year for accommodation, whereas this year there is enough to cover this expense for students who qualify for a bursary."
She said the college is working with money from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and has to follow set rules which in some instances put students in rural areas who live far from campuses at a disadvantage. Any changes that are needed in the fund's allocation system should be addressed nationally, not at college level.
Zinzi Mfundisi, spokesperson for the students, confirmed after the protest that they received their response "in black and white" as requested. "There are many documents and we will take time to study them and get all the facts, listen to the other side of NASFAS and then take things from there."
The students who are protesting received bursaries from NSFAS for their first year in 2015, but this did not include money for accommodation. When it became known that other students received money to cover accommodation costs this year, the second-year students became upset. They decided on protest action after a meeting with management had not cleared up the issue.
Click here for previous articles:
- South Cape College students protesting
- Students demand pay back for accommodation
- South Cape College students plan protest
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