Respected academic Prof Ihron Rensburg says a proposal barring universities from holding back the certificates of students who cannot afford to settle their debt and calling for an amendment of the Higher Education Act could be an option for indebted students.
Rensburg was speaking at the Walter Sisulu University convocation’s national dialogue on graduate and student debt clearance in East London on Saturday.
The event, which was attended by convocations from various universities across the country, put funding models under the spotlight and sought solutions to the problem of graduate and student debt.
“What role for parliament? I heard you speak about parliament,” Rensburg said.
“Should parliament not be lobbied to say amend the Higher Education Act so that universities — this is difficult ground now, I’m just raising it — should not be allowed to withhold certificates?
“And there should be a mechanism in place ... there should be an agreement, an acknowledgment of debt ... whatever instrument the university puts in place.
“I’m just asking the question for you, what is it that you are going to parliament for? Can you specify?
“Again, it goes back to the idea of diagnostic [approach].
“When you go to the national government, what are you going for?
“You say to government, ‘We want a special appropriation? A billion rand a year for the next 20 years to write off this debt?’
“What is your proposal to [higher education] minister [Blade] Nzimande ... I don’t know if he’s coming back, let’s see who comes back.”
Rensburg said provincial and local governments should also be approached with presentations.
“What role for Setas [sectored education and training authority] and business industry?” he said.
WSU convocation president Dr Lunga Mantashe called on graduates to come to the party.
Mantashe said there was a need for a forum based on a “serious” programme of action”.
“The programme should speak to government, private sector and it must involve graduates,” he said.
“Graduates must come on board.
“If we choose tomorrow, as convocations, to march to parliament and Pretoria one day, all 156,000 of them [graduates] must be there.
“That speaks to the question of active activist participation.”
Rensburg said that, according to a recent update shared by the minister in parliament, the total student debt published in 2023 was R19bn.
He called on graduates and students to prioritise sitting ducks and dark horses in their quest to reduce the debt.
“Walter Sisulu University [WSU] will have the first chief justice [Mandisa Maya] ... woman chief justice.
“Shouldn’t you be mobisiling her as well?
“You’ve got so many people to mobilise here at Walter Sisulu University and our colleagues from other universities.
“There are so many people up there that you can connect with for this purpose,” Rensburg said.
Some of the indebted students left universities because they could not complete their studies, while others could not meet the threshold required to progress and receive National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding.
In 2023, more than 500 students benefited from the WSU debt clearance campaign which was launched early that year by the university’s convocation.
The campaign has helped students who had outstanding debts receive their hard-earned graduation certificates.
Through the assistance of government, alumni, private sector, the SRC and the institution’s leadership, including good Samaritans, they managed to raise R40m.
WSU executive dean Prof Bulelwa Nguza-Mduba, who represented the vice-chancellor, Prof Rushiella Songca, described student debt as a pressing issue.
“We gather here to explore proactive strategies for funding that align with our convocation’s drive,” she said.
“We are also reminded of the critical role that higher education plays in shaping the future of our students and, consequently, our nation.”
Convocation representatives from other institutions of higher learning gave the thumbs-up to the WSU convocation’s drive and said they were taking a leaf out of its book.
DispatchLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.