Africa-Press – Eswatini. Nearly 150 students, who were admitted and had already travelled to the University of Botswana (UB), will be forced to turn back home after their scholarship applications were declined.
The affected students, some of whom had already started classes after paying registration fees on their own with the hope that they would be granted scholarships since they passed the Eswatini General Certificate of Secondary Education (EGCSE) with flying colours, will have to travel back to Eswatini because they did not make the cut to be among the 25 students who were granted scholarships by government.
The State had reserved only 25 scholarships for students who want to study in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This was regardless of the fact that a total of 178 students had been admitted to study various courses in the three countries named above.
In Zimbabwe, government sponsored only one student out of 12 that had been admitted and a handful to study medicine in Zambia. A majority of the successful applicants which will enjoy the benefit of undertaking their tertiary education under the government scholarship programme will be based in Botswana.
Effectively
This effectively means that nearly 150 students who had been admitted in Botswana will have to abandon their courses if their parents cannot afford their tuition fees since government through Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi has announced that only 50 scholarships would be availed for students that may be interested at pursuing courses in institutions of higher learning within the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
In Eswatini, Buthelezi said the number of students to be sponsored at tertiary level would be reduced by over 1 500 from 4 100 during the past academic year to 2 500.
The other 25 scholarships reserved for students at SADC universities, yet to be granted, will be issued to students who may want to further their studies in South Africa and Namibia.
Buthelezi yesterday confirmed that they had sponsored only 25 students to study in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
He said this was in line with their budget of E78 million to cater for 2 550 scholarships in Eswatini and SADC countries.
“There is nothing we can do as a ministry because our coffers allow us to sponsor only 25 students in these three countries,” said Buthelezi.
Buthelezi was asked whether there could be any additions after he met a group of affected parents whose children were already in Botswana. The parents had sought his intervention with the hope that government would consider their plea to at least increase the number of sponsored students since some of them were already in class.
“We really fail to understand where government says we should get the money to pay the expensive tertiary fees. What makes the situation worse is that some of the students are already in class,” said Harry Shiba who led the concerned parents to the ministry’s offices.
When making the announcement that scholarship grants would be cut by more than half, the State insisted that there would be no further scholarships awarded beyond the 2 550. It was stated that appeals would also not be considered, unlike in past years where students who could not make it would get a second opportunity through a review of their applications.
Government’s resolution was despite the fact that candidature for the year 2021 increased by 40.08 per cent when compared with the 2020 entries.
A total of 28 072 candidates sat for the 2021 Eswatini General Certificate of Secondary Education (EGCSE) examinations, while there were 19 931 candidates in 2020.
Buthelezi said from the 2022-2023 pre-service tertiary education and training loan applicants, both for the SADC region and local institutions, a projected budget of E78 million had been allocated.
“The E78 million, which will be used to award 2 550 scholarships for first year students during the incoming year is what has been budgeted.
“We want to stick to the budget in order to avoid a situation where we end up not meeting obligations such as not paying scholarships and tuition fees on time,” said Buthelezi.
The minister said they spent up to E45 000 on each student per year and E150 000 on each Liswati studying outside of the kingdom.
The reduction in the number of students to be awarded scholarships by government comes amid an anticipated increase in the number of students who could qualify to be accepted at universities.
Showed
Statistics, which were issued by the Examinations Council of Eswatini showed that the Manzini region came out tops, attaining a credit pass rate of 33.51 per cent, followed by the Lubombo region with a credit pass rate of 33.34 per cent, while the Hhohho region accomplished a credit pass rate of 33. 22 per cent and lastly the Shiselweni region got 31.97 per cent.
When announcing the release of the 2021 results, Minister of Education and Training, Lady Mabuza, congratulated the class of 2021 for working hard against all odds to prepare for the examination.
Following the challenges experienced by the country, the ministry had to adjust the school calendar year to make up for the lost teaching and learning time.
This adjustment, Mabuza said, led to the overlap of the 2021 school calendar year to the current year.
Top students also face the chop, now suicidal
Some of the rejected students who will no longer be able to further their studies in Botswana because they did not get a government scholarship got A* in all subjects.
Out of five Eswatini General Certificate of Secondary Education (EGCSE) results which were brought by worried parents whose students were denied scholarships, the lowest mark obtained was B (70 per cent).
“We really fail to understand what criterion was used by the ministry to grant scholarships if they left out the best students in the country,” said one of the affected parents after the meeting with Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi who insisted that the number of students who have been granted scholarships to study in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia would not change from 25.
One of the female students who had accompanied the concerned parents with the hope that government would change its mind after seeing her results, said she was really disappointed that the State would fail to grant her scholarship yet she worked so hard to be among the top 50. “I am even considering taking my life.
It will be very hard to stomach the fact that I will no longer be able to further my studies since my father cannot afford to pay the university fees as well,” said a teary *Nomusa who was speaking outside the ministry of labour and social security office.
Harry Shiba, who led the concerned parents to make an official request for an addition in the number of students to be sponsored by government, pleaded with other private companies to consider offering scholarships to the affected students since government was failing them.
“We would really appreciate if private companies could come through for us,” said Shiba.
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