Students satisfied with resolution of registration issues

Students at the Vaal campus of North-West University have expressed their satisfaction with the resolution of registration issues experienced at the start of the semester.

Following a protest on 14 March 2022 by students from the Vaal campus about registration problems due to NSFAS funding issues, the Student Campus Council (SCC) submitted a memorandum to management to ask that the registration date be extended to 4 April, which was granted. This gave conditionally registered students additional time to register, while sorting out funding issues.

Tinotenda Chirara (26), deputy chairperson of student campus council (SCC) at Vaal campus, said that it was only fair to find a way to accommodate students who were affected and could not register because of funding issues. Discussions with management ultimately led to an increase in the university’s enrollment plan by 4%.

Students who were unable to register, or were excluded from registration, were also given a chance to register provisionally, which enabled them to attend classes and gain access to eFundi while waiting to be financially cleared by NSFAS.

NSFAS confirmed earlier this month that payments to students would be made from 8 April, as it had received the first tranche of its budgetary allocations.

Part of the NWU institutional policy is that students cannot register for the academic year while there are still outstanding payments. Therefore, NSFAS students that owed the institution more than R1 000 were provided with an Acknowledgement of Debt form (AOD) that had to be signed to make payment arrangements. This meant that to be able to fully register, a certain amount of money would be deducted from their allowances every month until their debt is settled.

Kenny Phungari (22), a second-year BCom economics and risk management student, explained the difficulties he experienced during the registration process. The process, he said, can be especially difficult when you are a black student from a disadvantaged background. “During the registration process, I had to wait two weeks before receiving an AOD form. It is a very constraining procedure, especially when the institution sends emails stating that you have outstanding debt,” said Phungari.

Postgraduate students who do not qualify for NSFAS funding also struggled with financial issues.

Tumelo Molatola (25), a postgraduate student in public management, received his acceptance letter late this year and could not apply for a bursary on time.

“Fortunately, the registration period was extended, and I was able to apply for the NWU Honours Bursary, which eventually paid the minimum registration fee after three days,” said Molatola.

Lindi Ndlovu (23), a postgraduate honours student in BA psychology, said, “I am grateful for the extension of registrations even though it is a bittersweet moment for me.” Ndlovu could not secure funding on time due to the delay of registrations caused by the protests and consequently had to forfeit her on-campus residence accommodation.

The map above shows the location where students were actively participating in the protest outside the NWU Vaal main gate and other surrounding areas. MAP: Nthabiseng Masango

Khanya Tobi, a postgraduate student in medical sociology, said “I was rejected by the National Research Foundation (NRF) but got awarded the NWU Honours Bursary, which only pays for registration. I am currently in need and searching for a top-up bursary to pay for my accommodation and study material”.

Apart from a small group of students expressing some issues with the registration process, the process ran smoothly, with the assistance of all staff and student leaders.

Loius Jacobs, director of corporate communication at NWU, said, “the whole purpose of extending the registration process was to accommodate students who were still struggling to register, based on a variety of reasons, but mainly financial.”

Jacobs also added that some students were still waiting for financial clearance from NSFAS or the outcome of their appeals, and others were in the process of sorting out their registration. – By Nthabiseng Masango and Lehlohonolo Nkhumishe