900 MORE SCHOLARSHIPS NEXT YEAR - PM

MBABANE – In what will come as good news to both parents and students, government will, with effect from next year, increase the number of students it sponsors at tertiary level by 900.

This was announced by Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini yesterday at the Swaziland College of Technology (SCOT) where he was guest speaker during the institution’s 14th graduation ceremony.
The prime minister said this was an initiative in line with the new Pre-service Education and Training Loan Policy which has been approved.

He said this policy removes the concept of scholarship and introduces the study loan mechanism which he said was adopted by many countries of the world.
“In allocating loan funding for tuition, based on merit and in respect of prioritised study subjects, with an additional means-tested allocation to cover accommodation and meals for the vulnerable, government is able to reach more students with the fixed amount of financial resources that are available.

“This policy will also strengthen the nation’s skills bank in priority areas. In fact, the number of new students starting in 2014, who have access to finance for domestic tertiary education, is in excess of 2 500 which represents an increase of around 900 on the previous year’s intake,” he said.
There was a reverberating round of applause from students and parents when the prime minister said this.

Since about three years ago, there has been a public outcry about tertiary education scholarships in the country following government’s stance to cut down on the number of students it funds in local colleges and universities.
In all local universities and colleges, there has been a steady downward spiral in the number of students who enroll for tertiary education due to lack of funds.
Students of the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) have been on the forefront complaining about government’s stance to fund only a few students who are considered to be in ‘priority areas’.

In his speech yesterday, the prime minister, while explaining the new arrangement, said his administration, with the assistance of a consultancy, is currently finalising legislation that would define these new arrangements.
He said tertiary education ranked high in the education strategy of His Majesty’s government, with one objective being to extend funding as broadly as possible while focusing the allocation of finance on selected priority areas and proven personal needs.

Directing his words to the graduates, the prime minister encouraged them to think as positively and energetically about self-employment as about getting jobs.
“Especially in technology-oriented areas of commercial activity, these are fast-moving times of innovation and adaptation. Your degree course will have helped you think out of the box. Now put that into practice and consider carefully how you might find your own niches in self-employment. Never worry that the initial income might be small. Remember the saying – from little acorns grow big oak trees,” he said.

It’s a step towards the right direction – students

MBABANE – Tertiary students have described government’s decision to increase the number of students to benefit from scholarships by 900 as a step towards the right direction.

University of Swaziland’s President of the Student Representative Council (SRC) Maxwell Dlamini said the latest move by government was very much appreciated by the students. 
“We can actually appreciate government’s efforts in increasing the number of students going to tertiary. It shows that what we have been saying has finally been heard. For the past three years, we have been saying that the cutting of students who are supposed to enroll in tertiary institutions was wrong and improper and did not help us towards moving towards the correct direction in developing the country.

“If government now commits itself into increasing the number of students who are going to be sponsored at tertiary level, it is only an indication of good efforts employed,” he said. Nevertheless, he said, government also ought to consider the students who are already in tertiary institutions and are self-sponsored.

“These students are struggling and government must also consider them as well. There is a possibility that some of them might not finish their studies due to lack of funds,” he said.

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