Sihlalo, ngiyabonga baba uMpontshane, cha ngizokuphendula, awuphambuki. [Chairperson, thank you, hon Mpontshane, I will respond to you, and yes, you are on the right track.]
I would like to mention two things. The matter that you are raising is a very valid matter. For instance, we are concerned as a department that many students, including poor students, sometimes have to apply to eight or nine institutions with each requiring an admission fee. That is where the problem starts.
That is why my department, amongst other things, is seriously exploring the question of having a central admissions office so that students can apply to one centre, and we then send those applications to different institutions.
Secondly, coming directly to the question that you are asking, one of the things that we want the review of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to look into is precisely the problem of many institutions requiring registration fees that are not covered by the financial aid scheme, and for very poor students, that rules them out because that becomes a condition for actually accessing a loan. We would like the review committee to look into all that in order to ensure that poor students who are deserving and capable are not, by any means, excluded through this upfront demand for a registration fee when they cannot afford it. Thank you. [Applause.]