Students at UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences owe R50 million in fees.
Some 154 final-year students have outstanding debt, of whom 78 are medicine students, and 76 health and rehabilitation students.
Now, a bold plan by the faculty dean, associate professor, Lionel Green-Thompson, and the Health Sciences Student Council leader, Lutho Pikok, will aim to raise funds to assist students drowning in debt.
And they're using Green-Thompson’s upcoming 60th birthday at the end of April to do just that.
The faculty has 700 students. The final year students, especially, are in danger of not graduating if their fees are not paid.
Green-Thompson said this cannot happen in a country, in dire need of qualified health professionals. In a letter sent out to the student body, yesterday, the duo provided details of their fundraising initiative which they hope will raise at least R30 million in the first six months, to ensure that final-year students graduate.
The letter also urges students to take responsibility for their fees and report their challenges.
All proceeds raised will go into the Bongani Mayosi Impilo Bursaries Fund.
Pikok, 20, who was born at the Mowbray Maternity Hospital - UCT’s teaching hospital - said the issue of fees needed to be addressed urgently.
“When students are excluded, they come to us for help. It’s very hard for us to say we can’t do anything. We have to face our families and tell them that we cannot complete our degrees. This is bad for us and them. We have to avoid this and we have to find ways to clear the debt,” he said.
Green-Thompson will reach out to his vast network of friends and associates to contribute to the initiative.
“This happens often where people ask their friends to, instead of buying gifts, to rather donate to a charity of their choice. I will use my social media spaces, profile, UCT alumni and everyone I know to help.
“We are hoping for a good response. Fee debt is not just a university problem, it’s societal.” said Green-Thompson.
Pikok said he was excited when he heard about the birthday plans and immediately jumped in to help.
“It would be really sad for us and our families if we are excluded,” he said.
The two recognised that UCT has the highest fees in the country.
“Many students come from poor areas. Rural areas. But even here, in the city, we still have to fight financial exclusion.,” he said.
Green-Thomplson in turn stressed that no student should be excluded because they cannot pay.
“Some 41% of our students are the first in their families to ever go to university. What I am hoping to achieve is to recognise that any contributions will help. The amount doesn’t matter. It’s about sharing our problem with the community,” he said.
Pikok added that the birthday fundraiser was also a potential alternative to student protests.
“We don’t protest because we like it. We do it because we have run out of options. I am very motivated to join prof LGT ( as Green–Thompson is affectionately called on the campus).,” he said.
“The leadership of the student body and faculty staff, jointly, want to tackle student debt. In fact, so far this year, staff have already raised R500 000 for other projects through the Bongani Mayosi Impilo Bursaries Fund,” Green-Thompson said.
While some of the students are bursary recipients, the bursaries do not cover everything.
“NSFAS also has a cap deficit of R30 000 for accommodation. This means that students are almost always behind. Some students qualify but are not processed. Some are just not getting funding and their parents cannot afford to pay,” Green-Thompson said.
The duo expressed their hopes that the initiative is going to be excellent and successful.
Saturday Star
norman.cloete@inl.co.za