08 Aug 2023

The Ministry of Education and Skills Development has secured funds for all the 2022/2023 re-sponsorship applicants whose applications were deferred and will be issued with sponsorship letters to proceed with their studies this month.

This was said by Minister of Education and Skills Development, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe, when responding to a question in Parliament from Sefhare/Ramokgonami MP, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang.

Dr Letsholathebe said 2 350 applicants met the set criteria for the 2022/2023 re-sponsorship. However, he said, his ministry had only P1 million to cover re-sponsorship for only 1 836 applicants and that 514 applicants could not be accommodated.

"All the applicants for the 2022/2023 re-sponsorship were responded to through their individual accounts in the on-line application system," he said.

He added that since the students could not be rejected as they met the set criteria, they were placed "under review" status while the ministry continued to source funds, he explained.

Furthermore, Dr Letsholathebe said the sponsorship application status was transparent because it was automated and applicants were communicated to through their individual accounts.

Dr Gobotswang had asked the minister to state the number of students whose re-sponsorship applications had been deferred without being responded to and why the applications for the aforementioned students were deferred and placed "under review" application status for almost a year?

Additionally, the MP wanted to know when the ministry would respond to the affected students’ applications considering that most tertiary institutions would be re-opening in August 2023 as well as the level of transparency of the whole process. ends