The Economic Freedom Fighters Students' Command (EFFSC) said the Department of Higher Education must be held accountable for destroying the dreams and aspirations of many young people who had to drop out due to lack of funding. This comes after the Department of Higher Education (DHE) revealed that they have returned R580 million to the National Treasury.

STUDENTS IN DISTRESS

The EFFSC has argued that the returned money could have been used to finance students in distress. "The ANC-led government has sabotaged the youth of the nation. This unthinkable and irrational act takes place while thousands of students continue to struggle with access to higher education because of the lack of funding,' the EFFSC said. The student organisation blamed this on the inefficiency of government departments. "This has become a trend in many departments led by incompetent and dishonest administrators who are obsessed with manipulating audit outcomes at the expense of delivering services to our people,' they said.

NOT ENOUGH ACCOMMODATION 

According to the EFFSC, thousands of students are left without sufficient accommodation, while the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector suffers from poor infrastructure and a lack of resources. "Student accommodation, by the department's own admission, continues to be a thorn in the sector as thousands of students suffer year in and year out due to the shortage of beds,' the EFFSC stated. They condemned the return of the funds, saying it worsens financial exclusions and increases inequality in higher education. "Returning such a huge sum of funds to the national treasury at a time where there is a high number of financial exclusions at tertiary education is both irresponsible and illogical. Although dismayed, we are not shocked by these actions and/or lack thereof. They are complicit in making education inaccessible to the children of the working class,' said EFFSC.