The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has joined calls opposing the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s (DTIC) draft amendments.
The department recently published the proposed changes in the Government Gazette. It seeks to allow educational institutions to report unpaid student fees to credit bureaus.
The EFF has written to the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Tebogo Letsie. The party calls for an urgent joint meeting with the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition.
EFF SLAMS DRAFT BILL
In a statement, EFF Member of Parliament (MP) Sihle Lonzi said the future of millions of young people is under grave threat. He accused the DTIC of attempting to unleash a “cruel and devastating attack” on the youth. According to Lonzi, the proposed policy would entrench economic exclusion against the majority in South Africa.
“It is no secret that the majority of students struggling to pay university fees come from poor and working-class communities, ravaged by the legacy of apartheid and ongoing structural inequality. This proposed amendment to the law will punish them for being poor by turning their unpaid fees into permanent scars on their credit records,” he said.
The party also claimed that the draft regulation is anti-poor and neoliberal, adding that a bad credit score would trap young people in cycles of poverty and exclusion.
STUDENT DEBT RELIEF BILL
This comes after the EFF announced its intention to introduce the Student Debt Relief Bill. Lonzi said the youth deserve an education system that supports and empowers them.
The Bill seeks to address the plight of students by establishing a fund to pay off their debt. Furthermore, it proposes that all students who have met their academic requirements should receive their qualifications, regardless of outstanding debt owed to their institutions of higher learning.
ARE YOU IN SUPPORT OF THE DRAFT BILL?
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