UWC students want their allowances

UWC students are complaining about the late distribution of allowances, with the Student Representative Council (SRC) saying first-year students are going hungry.

UWC spokesperson Gasant Abarder said allowances were being disbursed to all qualifying students. However, he said that because of Covid-19 it was required that the banks check the bank details before they could be loaded on to the system.

Abarder said this lengthened the process. He said UWC was unable to confirm how many students had received their allowances because it was an ongoing process.

Abarder said UWC was in constant communication with students.

“Students are advised to contact the Financial Aid Office. Additionally, general communications are released to keep students informed,” he said.

Abarder said the Nutrition and Wellness Project was assisting students, whose allowances had not been processed, with grocery packs.

SRC secretary-general Bulumko Mpambani said many first-year students had not submitted their banking details; others had submitted banking details that were not their own.

He said there were some who did not have accounts, which was affecting the distribution of allowances.

Mpambani said students would receive allowances today, as per the normal process, but they must remember the SRC did not have access to who was on the funded list.

“We urge all first-year students as a matter of urgency to submit your banking details. If you have submitted the banking details of your next of kin, relative or anyone else, we advise you to resubmit the form to the Financial Aid Office with your own banking details.”

The Cape Argus asked the National Student Financial Aid Scheme whether student allowances had been disbursed to all students in time, but it had not responded by the time of publication.