The Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) and the Welwitschia Health Training Centre have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, aimed at financially assisting students at the institution.

The MoU will allow students to write exams and view their results while payments are being settled.

NSFAF acting CEO Kennedy Kandume called on students to ensure that their documents are in order and submitted on time to avoid delays and withdrawals, noting that the institution would try to ensure payments are done on time.

"We, therefore, enter into memoranda of understanding like this one so that we tell the institution or ensure the institution of higher learning that we will pay you. You might need your money by March, but we will strive to pay you by April, for example. You will be paid. Please allow our students access to your facility. So this is a type of agreement that we entered with the institution so that our students are not disadvantaged."

Former beneficiaries owe NSFAF about N$9 billion, of which N$3.6 billion is being verified. 

Former NSFAF beneficiaries, who total more than 130,000 people, are urged to repay their loans in order for the institution to be able to fund new beneficiaries.

The rector of the Welwitschia Health Training Center, Andreas Mwoombala, has assured NSFAF that the funds will be put to good use.

"The money is not going in the pocket; the money is to expand and to make the organization a preferred institution of learning, of choice, and I think we are going to do this only to have the capacity well established through having the financial means."

Welwitschia Health Training Centre received about 5,000 applicants this year, exceeding its capacity of 1,300.

"The propellant of this economy and our people depends on NSFAF tuition, and that is why the government has trusted us with two mandates: making sure that we allow access, which is what we do with this kind of partnership, and also making sure that Namibians become responsible and commit for this institution to remain sustainable," said Percy Tjahere, Senior Manager for Marketing and Communication at NSFAF.