Gauteng bursary students threaten protest action over nonpayment of fees

More than 300 students who are beneficiaries of the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) bursary scheme are threatening protest action against the Gauteng provincial government following months of non-payment of their tuition fees and student allowances.

This nonpayment has left many of these young students distressed with some of them complaining of hunger and desperation. The students claim that they have not been paid since the start of the academic year in February and as a result, they are falling behind with their studies.

A student, who requested to remain anonymous, indicated that as a first-year student she is in the dark about her performance as her results have been withheld from her.

"I am a student from and I cannot access my results due to my account not being up to date. And mind you, I am a first-year student, straight from high school. There is nothing that hurts more than being unable to access your results as I am now unsure of my performance.

"We are left in the dark, not knowing when we will receive the money as there's no proper communication," she said.

Another student said that after being promised laptop allowances, they are yet to receive them which has impacted on him being able to do his work at campus.

"There are more than 350 students who are affected by this. Imagine from the 17th of February until now, how are we supposed to be coping with the amount of schoolwork and making a living at the same time. We were promised laptop allowances in order for us to do our assignments. We are fed up and we are now preparing to launch a protest," he said.

Another student claimed that even her rent has not been paid which has left her and many others in a desperate situation.

"I'm a second year studentfunded by the GCRA bursary. I’m reaching out because we haven’t received our allowances, living or book since February. Our rent hasn’t been paid either, or there’s been no proper communication from GCRA," she said.

"We are depressed, hungry and confused. We have lost hope, we have sleepless nights, we cannot even focus clearly on our academics, and at the end of the day we are supposed to magically pass with outstanding marks in order for them to continue funding us after all the misery they have put us through," another student stated.

The Gauteng Department of Education referred the matter to the Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi's office with Vuyo Mhaga speaking for the Premier stating: "It should be noted that the government’s financial year starts on the 1st of April and ends on the 31st of March the following year. As a result, there is a misalignment between the academic year of our universities and the financial year of the government.

"This has a huge impact on why it sometimes takes time to process payments to the universities. In some institutions, universities are able to advance our students with meals and books allowance at the beginning of the year, and then they get repaid what they advanced to our students at the beginning of the financial year of the government.

"However, other universities do not advance our students. This means, the GCRA must make a payment before our bursars can have access to what the bursary offers. We are currently engaging with universities, to find a common ground so that our students are not inconvenienced by the misalignment of the academic year and the financial year of the government.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za