The Students Union of Namibia (SUN) has urged the Ministry of Education to accelerate the payment of non-tuition fees for most students.

In an earlier statement, the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture pointed out that the reintegration of the Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) into the ministry has presented administrative and operational complexities. 

After meeting with Deputy Minister of Education Dino Balloti last week, the student body applauded the ministry for addressing the tuition delays by sending a letter to all institutions, allowing students to write exams while awaiting NSFAF payments.

However, the non-tuition payment delay has been a challenge for many students who depend on the payments for accommodation, transport, and meals. 

The union also suggested that the ministry employ 50 interns to assist with the processing of applications to accelerate the process. 

Board Chairperson Bernard Kavau said, "These 50 interns – we are expecting an announcement from the ministry this week so they can go help NSFAF in terms of the application itself, approval and so on. So, moving forward, there will be no story for NSFAF to say, 'We do not have enough human capital.' We have provided solutions for them. The budget has been approved. Therefore, it's an immediate demand."

The Ministry of Education stated that it experienced a significant increase in the number of students requiring support, resulting in an unprecedented volume of close to 100,000 students needing to be processed. 

The ministry attributed the delay to the extension of the application deadline, which was moved to 11 June. Additionally, it highlighted that institutions of higher learning received advance payments to ensure operational continuity during the transition period.

So far, more than 30,000 new students have received subsidised award letters, with the remaining applications undergoing validation due to missing information or outstanding documentation.