The YCLSA media statement on the DA Youth Financial Aid campaign
The Young Communist League of South Africa [uFasimba] rejects with the contempt it deserves the electioneering and publicity stunt of the Democratic Alliance (DA) Youth's so called "Make Financial Aid Work Campaign".
The Campaign, which may ultimately lead to a march to the Minister of Higher Education, contains five proposals which are either in the Minister's Action Plan or have already been recommended by the NSFAS Review Report, and are being implemented.
The Report of the NSFAS Ministerial Review Committee points to the ‘high levels of inconsistency in terms of what the loan covers, interest imposed on the loans to students even before they start working, the need to award NSFAS based on academic excellence' and many other areas that the DA seeks to address.
Their proposals includes the [already in place] conversion of NSFAS loans into bursaries for students who performs better academically in their final year. It has been made clear that this action will be gradually introduced to cover all students who perform better academically and are in financial aid.
The DA Youth also propose that NSFAS allocations should be based on socio-economic position of the student, rather than race, a practice that has been in place since the establishment of the loan institution. All we can do is wonder which slumber land the DA Youth has been sleeping when all of these things were happening.
The YCL, together with our PYA partners, will continue to campaign for free education and call on the DA to join in on this important campaign, and stop demanding that which has already been granted.
We remain convinced that the demand for free education for all is realisable, but has not been implemented by our government. We will continuously pressurise the ANC-led government to ensure that this happens, but to make demands already met can only serve to score cheap political gains by the DA Youth.
Statement issued by YCLSA National office, April 7 2011
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