Windhoek: Education Minister, Sanet Steenkamp, on Friday stated that all students currently pursuing Master's and PhD studies with valid contracts under the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) will continue receiving funding as their contracts are honored.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Steenkamp, during a media conference on the subsidized funding model, announced that the ministry is working towards incorporating Master's and PhD programs into the Subsidised Tertiary Funding Model (STFM) in the future. She emphasized that the intention is not to cut off postgraduate students, but rather to finalize support for those already in the system while strengthening the STFM framework over the next three years.

NSFAF Acting Operations Executive Johanna Shidhika provided additional details on the model's scope, stating that the subsidized funding covers students pursuing a first primary qualification in higher education and technical and vocational training. Eligibility is based on meeting minimum academic requirements, such as NSSCO/H/AS level or equivalent qualifications. Shidhika noted that undergraduate students at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) levels 5 to 8, including honors degrees, and TVET trainees at NQF levels 1 to 6, are eligible for full tuition and registration fee subsidies at both public and private institutions.

She further clarified that a first primary qualification is a student's initial qualification, and funding may also be extended to studies outside Namibia in priority fields that are not available locally or where admission was not possible due to limited space.

Additionally, Steenkamp called on all public and local tertiary institutions to refund registration fees to students who qualify under the STFM. She stressed that if any institution charged registration fees where they should not have been, those amounts must be refunded.