Financially excluded students on bended knees before DHET for 2024 registration
Thousands of students from institutions across the country have been left stranded as they plead with their respective universities to lift the financial exclusion statuses.
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande at a media briefing on 28 October 2021. Picture GCIS
JOHANNESBURG - Some university students who’ve been financially excluded from registering for the 2024 academic year have called on the higher education department to intervene.
Thousands of students from institutions across the country have been left stranded as they plead with their respective universities to lift the financial exclusion statuses.
While students usually look forward to the beginning of the academic year, this period is often a pain for those who are unable to settle their tuition fees.
This was expressed by several students who told Eyewitness News that the higher education system doesn’t cater to the so-called missing middle.
“I don’t think it’s fair because it’s one thing to be excluded because of your marks. Imagine you passed well but now you can’t register because if your financial situation,” one student said.
“It’s oppressing our basic rights of education because people are from different backgrounds,” another student said.
They told Eyewitness News that it’s disheartening to know that financially excluded students were sitting at home while their peers continued with their studies.