Times Of Swaziland: IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO STUDY

IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO STUDY
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The editor on 17/03/2014 04:37:00


Sir,
I am a swazi student currently studying in one of the universities in South
Africa. Due to my status, I am required to have a study permit in order to study
in South Africa.
New ways have been implemented for the application of a study permit such as
having it to be renewed every year and in that yearly renewal everyone is
expected to pay a medical cover which is around E4 000. This has caused too much
pain to us due to the fact that we pay this amount (those who can afford it)
only to find that when you are sick while in SA and go to a certain hospital,
they tell you that your medical card is not approved in that hospital, it is
only approved in Johannesburg while you may be studying in Northwest Mafikeng
which is 500km away.
Cover
What adds salt to the wound is that you find that you have never used even a
single cent of the money you paid for medical cover but the next year you have
to pay another E4 000. A lot of Swazi citizens are currently just sitting at
home because they could not afford the money for medical cover. As a result,
they could not access the study permit because it was too much.
Now the question remains: is Swaziland fighting against raising its economy by
doing this (blocking us to study), does it still want to see an illiterate,
poor, suffering and outdated generation?
How can we pay E4 000 for medical cover, then E1 000 for a study permit, then
when we reach South Africa we should have an upfront sum of registration that is
around E8 000, then paying for residence upfront that is around E7 000 and at
the same time we have to have food so we can survive?
Mpumelelo