Dear Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology, I write this letter as a final year student who is drenched in debt that follows me and many of my fellow university students throughout our university degrees. I cannot emphasise enough how desperate and important the issue of higher education for black poor students is and how necessary it is to find reform on the situation.

The NSFAS bursary aid scheme is failing students. Many South African students under the scheme are either dropping out or leaving universities with heavy debt because of the administration of the NSFAS system which does not pay out fees in full and in some cases, at all. There is also an issue with the bursary scheme in which NSFAS will revoke funding for some students without notice or explanation. This is personally what happened to me and I am currently sitting with a huge amount of debt on my student account.

I would like to help to be a part of the solution to the problem. This is the reason for this letter. Can the committee put it part of the fiscal mandate to install better checks and balances in the administration of funds in NSFAS and can a structure be developed in which irregularities are dealt with to prevent mismanagement of funds.

Please contact me if you need further inquiry into the situation. I am happy to help.