Two Sunday Tribune reporters share their struggles to fund their studies

PAYING for varsity is hard for those who are not poor enough to stand out, but unable to afford the cost of higher education.

We needed #FeesMustFall to amplify “the missing middle”.

Financial burdens affect academic progress which depends largely on mental, emotional and physical well-being. Being part of the “missing middle” was hard as nobody spoke for us or about us.

The four years I spent in the Durban University of Technology’s journalism department I called “my struggle”.

Personalising being a self-payer made it easier for me to cope.

My course assessments required money. It was like a newsroom but with no phone or car, limited access to computer labs and sometimes was forced to tell weak stories for assessment, because the stronger ones required travelling, money and airtime, which I never had.

This had a huge impact. The worst was spending weeks at home at the beginning of each year after lectures started, because my mother would still be raising money to pay off debts, registration fees, accommodation, transport and money for groceries. I lost out on lectures, and catching up wasn’t easy. Sacrifices such as buying airtime to get a story instead of buying bread were not rare.

The worst was seeing my mom in debt because she wanted an education for me.

If fees don’t fall, those who come after me will go through the same. Life shouldn’t be so hard. It’s going to get harder when they graduate and struggle to find jobs. THEY say education is the key to success but the dream of being educated at tertiary level comes at a high price.

Not everyone can afford the fees and it’s for this reason students are fighting for it to be free.

Although the government offers funding through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), it is essentially a loan students re-pay once they have a job.

My sister, Cebile Ndwandwe, 19, is a student in financial accounting at the Durban University of Technology.

This year, she almost did not make it back to university because NSFAS did not approve funding for her second year.

No one at home had money for her studies. In her first year (2015), NSFAS accepted her application, paid her fees and accommodation.

We expected her to be financially assisted until she graduated.

She refused to accept her fate and knocked on doors looking for help. Her dream of becoming an auditor was shattered.

I paid her registration fee so she could attend classes while we looked at other avenues. The NSFAS answer remained the same – “insufficient funds”. I made a plan to finance her studies.

Some of her classmates dropped out as no one could pay for them.

The universities are planning to increase fees which is unfair because they are expensive and NSFAS can’t fund everyone.

If the fee hike is approved, many students will drop out.

What a pity as dreams will be shattered.