Polytechnic Students Bemoan Reduced Funding

students who are receiving Government loans face a bleak academic future because of insufficient funding and loans from the Namibian Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) of the Ministry of Education.
The students claim that the funding that they receive from the NSFAF is barely enough to cater for half of their academic yearly fees.
There is a difference in sums of money allocated to students from the Polytechnic of Namibia and the University of Namibia, student at the PoN, reading for a qualification in either Accounting, Finance and Administration in the first year is entitled to a loan of N$9 500, in the second year it goes down to N$7 100, subsequent year it becomes N$7 300 and in the final year a mere N$7 000. At Unam, the situation differs completely, with students in the same field of study enjoying a steady rise of funding, according to the loan rates implemented by the NSFAF in 2006.
A first year student at Unam receives N$10 500, second year gets up to N$11 600 and year three N$12 500 and fourth and final year N$12 700.