Former Lilitha College of Nursing Queenstown students from the 2012 intake claim they are owed R6000 by the health department.
The former bursary students said they were not paid a R3000 stipend in the first two months of their studies and were promised the money would be paid to them.
Some pupils from the 2012 class, who have had to repeat modules or complete modules this year, were also not paid a stipend at the end of last month without any explanation.
Health spokesman Siyanda Manana said this was because the course was a four-year course and after four years, the system removed the names of students.
“So those students who did not get money at the end of last month, will have to be extended on the system,” he said.
Regarding the outstanding R6000, Manana said the department was looking into the matter.
In the past the group had been affected by the re-prioritisation of funds which happened around February before the beginning of the new financial year, he said.
One of the students, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, said the funding model changed in their first year of studies when the bursary system was introduced.
“In the first quarter of 2012, we were given bank forms similar to those you get for a salary and we were told we would be paid.
“In May, we got R6000 for April and May, February and March were not included. We got R3000 every month following that,” she said.
She said authorities kept telling them they would be paid for the first two months of their studies throughout their four-year course.
In their final year (last year), the students were asked to fill out banking forms in September in order to receive the outstanding amount. However, nothing ever came of this.
In December when the certified forms expired, they were again asked to fill in forms and only a small group was paid in January and February.
A group of 20 former students from that campus have formed a WhatsApp group as none of them have been paid. They say there could be more since more than 90 students made up the 2012 class.
“We’ve tried to get in touch with human resources from our campus and they have no answers.
“That means there’s been no progress on this.
“We don’t know what else to do because we are no longer at school and if those forms expire, it will be a difficult process trying to get everyone to complete them from wherever they are,” she said.
Another student said the difficulty lay therein that the 2012 class is now scattered across the province. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za
Bursary nursing students claim R6000 owed to them
The former bursary students said they were not paid a R3000 stipend in the first two months of their studies and were promised the money would be paid to them.
Some pupils from the 2012 class, who have had to repeat modules or complete modules this year, were also not paid a stipend at the end of last month without any explanation.
Health spokesman Siyanda Manana said this was because the course was a four-year course and after four years, the system removed the names of students.
“So those students who did not get money at the end of last month, will have to be extended on the system,” he said.
Regarding the outstanding R6000, Manana said the department was looking into the matter.
In the past the group had been affected by the re-prioritisation of funds which happened around February before the beginning of the new financial year, he said.
One of the students, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, said the funding model changed in their first year of studies when the bursary system was introduced.
“In the first quarter of 2012, we were given bank forms similar to those you get for a salary and we were told we would be paid.
“In May, we got R6000 for April and May, February and March were not included. We got R3000 every month following that,” she said.
She said authorities kept telling them they would be paid for the first two months of their studies throughout their four-year course.
In their final year (last year), the students were asked to fill out banking forms in September in order to receive the outstanding amount. However, nothing ever came of this.
In December when the certified forms expired, they were again asked to fill in forms and only a small group was paid in January and February.
A group of 20 former students from that campus have formed a WhatsApp group as none of them have been paid. They say there could be more since more than 90 students made up the 2012 class.
“We’ve tried to get in touch with human resources from our campus and they have no answers.
“That means there’s been no progress on this.
“We don’t know what else to do because we are no longer at school and if those forms expire, it will be a difficult process trying to get everyone to complete them from wherever they are,” she said.
Another student said the difficulty lay therein that the 2012 class is now scattered across the province. — vuyiswav@dispatch.co.za
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