BY MBONGENI NDLELA
LOBAMBA – Government will not tolerate misbehaviour from tertiary students whose education is paid for by the State.
Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg reminded the scholarship recipients that it is a privilege, not a right to receive these scholarship loans.
”The money that funds the scholarships is from hard-earned income from taxpayers and is meant for the sole purpose of getting an education. Government will not hesitate to cancel the scholarships of students that abuse this privilege and engage in violence and other unlawful behaviour,” he said.
It has become the norm now that students, once they get to university, are influenced not to make their studies a priority but to participate in political activities that are meant to destabilise government operations.
The minister said an amount of E439 million has been set aside for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of which E361 million is for scholarships for tertiary education.
Rijkenberg said there were currently 14 000 students being supported through the study loan scheme to study at tertiary institutions locally and abroad, with an annual expenditure above E300 million.
He said recovery of loans from past beneficiaries amounts to E60 Million on average per annum, which was far below expectations.
“Due to the glaring under-recovery of disbursed scholarships, Government is pursuing the establishment of a scholarship revolving fund to be managed by a bank. In 2022 the regulations for this fund will be finalised and should then mean that the fund grows on an annual basis allowing more students to benefit from the fund,” he said.
On the other hand, the minister said with the support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Government had prioritised the establishment of an Unemployment Benefit Fund in Eswatini, towards comprehensive social protection for all.
He said this intervention will seek to establish a gender inclusive unemployment protection system as part of a comprehensive national social security and social protection policy.
Also, the minister said Government had initiated a National Action Plan project which aims to strengthen the Labour Market Information and Skills Anticipation System (LMIS) in Eswatini.
“The Plan seeks to position this system as a one-stop shop for labour market information and job-matching in Eswatini,” he said.
