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Relief for students

The Polytechnic of Namibia and the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 22 April 2014, indicating that both these organisations have structured their systems to make it easier for government to release funding to the point where the students can access the funds for their studies. (L-R) Mrs Hilya Nghiwete, CEO of the NSFAF, and Prof Tjama Tjivikua signing the MoU (Photograph by Mandisa Rasmeni)

The Polytechnic of Namibia and the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 22 April 2014, indicating that both these organisations have structured their systems to make it easier for government to release funding to the point where the students can access the funds for their studies. (L-R) Mrs Hilya Nghiwete, CEO of the NSFAF, and Prof Tjama Tjivikua signing the MoU (Photograph by Mandisa Rasmeni)

The Polytechnic of Namibia and the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 22 April 2014 at the PoN Hotel School. The MoU is being put in place to resolve one of the long-standing challenges that Namibian students have been facing over the years in their learning endeavours.
Mrs Hilya Nghiwete, CEO of the NSFAF, said that it is a well-recorded situation that year-in and year-out, the Namibian students at various institutions of higher learning are faced with problems of being denied access to registration, learning facilities, examination and/or examination results, owing to unpaid fees, and that educational sectors require multi-faceted approaches, collective voices, inclusive dynamism and tactical engagement.

Nghiwete added that the MoU will allow NSFAF-sponsored students to register (without paying deposits on tuition fees), attend classes, sit for examinations, and get results even if the NSFAF has not yet paid their tuition fees. She added that the NSFAF is taking liability of all fees owed to the institution by all its sponsored students and is committing to paying some within the reasonable time as the parties may agree from time to time after the apportionment of the National Budget.
The NSFAF is also at an advanced level of engagement with the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the International University of Management (IUM), and they are hopeful that such engagements will eventually end with the signing of similar MoUs, said Nghiwete.
Prof Tjama Tjivikua, Rector of The Polytechnic of Namibia, said that this gesture was important to the Polytechnic, stemming from the many interactions they had with NSFAF. It proves that communication is a crucial vehicle for reaching a common understanding, thus building stronger relationships. He added that it had been a long journey. Therefore the penning of the MoU brings the relationship between the Polytechnic and the NSFAF to a better level of understanding.
Part of the MoU states that the NSFAF shall immediately inform the Polytechnic should a student not qualify for further funding from NSFAF, and that the Polytechnic shall at all times make available all the required facilities in order for students to successfully complete their tertiary education.

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