The National African Students Association wants a review of the education funding model to ensure that it responds to student's needs.

The student association held its first national congress at Rundu and elected its executive committee.

Discussions at the congress centered mainly on government study loans through the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund.

"NSFAF pays about N$17,000 as non-tuition fees to students and that money caters for food, accommodation, book allowance, and taxi to campus, but what happens is that NSFAF many times always pays these students in October, but students start to pay rent somewhere in February or March, so that means for that period of time they are left to struggle and only for them to be paid in October. As a result of that, they don't even use their money wisely anymore," said Elind Mwaamenange, Vice-President of NASA.

The association also proposed the abolishment of loans, saying this system is a debt trap for graduates.

NASA is instead calling for the introduction of a grant system.

Its President, Paulus Vihemba, says the fees of the trainees at vocational training centers must be increased from the current N$ 17 thousand to include non-tuition fees as well.

Vihemba claims that trainees, like any other student, require non-tuition fees to maintain themselves throughout the academic year.

"For university students, they sign two contracts: one for non-tuition fees of N$17, 000 and the other for tuition fees of N$24, 000. UNAM is paid by NSFAF separately for the tuition fees, and then students are paid their N$17, 000 separately in their accounts, but when it comes to VTCs, you just sign one contract for tuition fees."

The association also demands that the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture pay the universal primary education grant to schools in February.

Vihemba believes schools made the school development fund payment compulsory because they did not have money for day-to-day expenses.