The Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, has moved swiftly to resolve pressing issues affecting students studying through financial aid schemes.
The institution announced that payment had been processed pertaining to book and meal allowances for 11 438 students out of 13 630.
The disbursement, for those funded by the Funza Lushaka Bursary programme and National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), is a result of a consultative meeting between the CUT management, the students representative council (SRC) and NSFAS representatives.
Seithati Semenokane, CUT spokesperson, said the NSFAS was in the process of validating the remaining 2 192 students’ data to determine the final status of their funding.
Payment to the 166 students funded by Funza Lushaka was completed on 4 March.
Issues raised about the registration of students have also been resolved.
Demands regarding delayed payment and registration were among the issues that sparked tension between the SRC and the university’s management. This saw a group of angry students protesting early in February to put pressure on management.
“We remain committed and eager to always engage with the SRC, as we believe they constitute a critical interface between management and students in addressing the plight of CUT students,” said acting vice chancellor and principal, Prof. Alfred Ngowi.
He said all academically excellent and financially deserving students had been registered regardless of their funding statuses, adding that books and meal allowances had also been allocated to ensure students begin their academic year without hassles.
