PROTESTING PUPILS RISK SCHOLARSHIPS – PHILA

EZULWINI – Young people who are convicted of engaging in protests might find it hard to get study loans from government.

Condemning the ongoing protests by pupils in various schools, Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi issued a stern warning yesterday. He was speaking during a press conference held at the Sibane Hotel where he gave feedback on the issue of scholarship loans following a petition that was delivered to the ministry last Friday.

Petition

He said he had seen the petition and was updated on the grievances raised. He advised that emaSwati who wanted to have their grievances heard should present them in a respectable manner and not use insults and violence. He mentioned that government was dedicated to ensuring that all emaSwati were afforded the best education through being awarded study loans.

The minister said he was aware that there was talk of availing scholarship loans for all qualifying emaSwati and said such was also government’s wish. He said, however, funds were not permitting. “Due to the limited funds available, we are forced to prioritise,” he said. He said his ministry had noted with disappointment children who government saw as the future of the country engaging in protests. “Government is looking to invest in these children through providing them with study loans in order to help the economy. These children are engaging in violent acts and this is a concern,” he said.

The minister pleaded with pupils to behave in an appropriate manner so that government would not have a problem investing in them. He said the issue of behavior was considered immensely whenever applications for scholarship loans were assessed. Buthelezi said pupils who would be convicted of incidents involving damage to property, would find it difficult to get scholarships.

“Government will prioritise pupils who are dedicated to their education and show that they want to have a bright future. The Board responsible for granting scholarships will work with us in ensuring that those children with criminal offences are properly scrutinised. The Board will look into those cases to determine if government should grant those children study loans or not,” said Buthelezi.

Regarding allowances, the minister said government was well aware that as times changed, a review of the money given to students was vital. As a result, he said, government and its stakeholders were dedicated to look into reviewing those scholarships but that such could only be possible if everyone put an effort in ensuring that the economy that made resources available was stable.

“All parties and all emaSwati need to commit themselves and ensure that businesses thrive so that the economy can be stable. This will make it easier to provide for things such as scholarships. But if as emaSwati we do things that let down the economy of the country, there would be challenges,” the minister. He said currently, the ministry had a challenge of courses that were saturated and had too many entrants, which was why government formulated a priority list.

Abandon

“So, we do have a feeling that for now we cannot abandon the priority courses. They will continue but we encourage young people to not only focus on white collar jobs but vocational skills as well. The vocational skills will ensure that young people are able to start their own businesses and hire others,” he emphasized. It should be noted that last Friday, over 2 000 students from the different institutions of higher learning petitioned the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to provide scholarships for students, increase cases living allowances and provide decent jobs for graduates.

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