Deputy Speaker, the ministerial committee that is to review the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, chaired by Dr Marcus Balintulo, is obliged to report to the Minister of Higher Education and Training within six months after the commencement of their work, which is likely only in December 2009, as its date of appointment was on 08 June 2009.
One of the tasks of this committee is to undertake a review of the Means Test and to provide guidelines to determine the criteria for eligible students. Many parents - some of whom have contacted me directly - already pressed, as we all are, by the current recessionary climate, are unable to access National Student Financial Aid Scheme funds and are ineligible for student bank loans.
If he, therefore, has not done so yet, and I am sorry he is not present, the Minister of Higher Education and Training must provisionally adjust the criteria and set aside adequate funds as a temporary measure to meet the needs of students who have been admitted to universities but whose parents, regardless of their race, simply cannot afford the money. Thank you.