Local municipalities are stepping in to offer much-needed relief to academically deserving students who are falling through the cracks, even though providing financial assistance for higher education studies is not their primary mandate.
The Jozini local municipality, located in a rural area of northern KwaZulu-Natal, is the most recent to allocate funds to students who have been admitted to different academic programmes.
The municipality presented its matric excellence awards, rewarding teachers for their outstanding work.
This included giving study grants to students who were approved to continue their education.
Internal disputes rock NSFAS
The severely underfunded National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and the tight national budget make the problem of funding higher education even worse.
Internal disputes regarding claims of money being diverted and politically connected cronies being enriched at the expense of students plague the student funding programme.
One of the top-achieving matric students in Jozini’s uMkhanyakude, Sphamandla Menyuka, recalled having to walk long distances to attend classes.
“There were days when I would feel like giving up because of the situation at home. The long distance to school was another factor. But something inside me told me to soldier on,” he explained.
Among the many struggles Menyuka faced in life was a common occurrence in the primarily rural district: battling with livestock over water.
With a 90% matriculation achievement rate, uMkhanyakude came on top in KwaZulu-Natal and ranked fourth nationally.
The municipal leadership faced criticism after deciding to provide groceries to students attending extra lessons and matric bootcamps, but mayor Mfananaye Mathe said that their unwavering efforts had finally paid off.
Study grants for rural learners
“We know how difficult it is for parents to get their children to university. It is even worse for Jozini because it’s a rural area with few economic activities,” said Mathe.
“The study grants will ensure that deserving students access higher education, and when they graduate, they come back to contribute positively to the local economy and that of the district.
“No child should be barred from reaching their full potential because they do not have the money to study further.”
uMkhanyakude’s Mandla Mthethwa School of Excellence, situated in Ndumo village, was also one of the schools that stood out for producing Olwethu Khumalo, the top matriculant in KwaZulu-Natal.
Thamsanqa Ntuli, the chairperson of the SA Local Government Association in KwaZulu-Natal, echoed the challenges that teachers and schools in rural areas face.
“Teachers and learners produce these results under difficult circumstances, fearing for their lives because of brazen criminals and violence bedevilling schools,” said Ntuli.
“Producing these results is a pure miracle.”
Incentives for rural schools
He took advantage of the occasion to advocate for the provision of incentives for teachers in rural areas and for rural schools that had high matriculation rates.
Ntuli, who is also the IFP premier candidate in KwaZulu-Natal, suggested that in order to reduce violence against students and teachers, armed security guards should be stationed at schools around the clock.
KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most bachelor passes with 72 099, ahead of Gauteng, in addition to being the second-highest performing province nationally after the Free State.
The province also achieved the highest number of distinctions.
