Financial strain for students as rent in Windhoek goes up

Students living and studying in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, are struggling to pay rent for private housing, according to the Namibia National Students Organisation (NANSO).

The organisation said delays in the distribution of student financial aid and student loans that were inadequate contributed to the problem.

The student organisation said it was engaging with the authorities over delays in the distribution of funds by the Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF), a government institution tasked with disbursing educational grants that students use to pay rent and other daily costs.

There are 14 higher education institutions that operate in Windhoek – two of them are public. Of the 14, only six appear to be offering on-campus accommodation, based on a website search of all universities’ facilities in the city. The majority of students, therefore, rely on private accommodation.

Why the high rentals?

Dorothea Nangolo, the spokesperson for NANSO, told University World News: “Most of the [educational] institutions or universities are in high-rent areas. This means that even [the owners of] student accommodation will charge in accordance with the average [rental] amounts in such areas.”

Helena Neema, NANSO’s secretary for higher education, blamed the high rentals on capitalism. “Currently,” she said, “there is no specific rental market for students in the private sector, forcing them to compete with the region’s expanding middle class. Consequently, students often resort to seeking accommodation in informal settlements, leading to increased transportation expenses.”

Forced to live in shacks

Jessy Abraham, a law student at the University of Namibia (UNAM), who lives in the capital, described her living situation as “uncomfortable”.

“I rent a shared room for two,” she said, “but it was clearly designed for one. Something much more comfortable would be costly for my parents as they also pay my tuition and registration fees … I am not funded by NSFAF.”

While some students share rooms to reduce costs, others are forced to live in shacks. Johana Jacob, a fourth-year UNAM student pays NAD600 (US$31.9) per month for a shack in the capital, which is cheaper than proper accommodation, according to a recent news report.

How do students pay for their studies?

Students are engaging in various income-generating activities to supplement their finances. “Most of our students come up with small businesses to support their daily needs,” said Nangolo. “Many of them do hair, sell clothes, and [run] all sorts of small businesses.”

But doing business to make ends meet is not for everybody, she noted. “A large number [of students] are left to suffer because they are unable to take on business ventures due to the demanding nature of their studies.”

Neema shared similar information on how students are supplementing finances. She said: “Students supplement their finances through part-time jobs or small businesses like selling goods or providing services. It is known as ‘Order with Me’ here.”

She did note, however, that legal business ventures were not the only means of generating income for students. “Unfortunately,” she said, “some [students] resort to criminal activities or prostitution for immediate financial relief, which is a distressing reality that no student should face.”

Delays in NSFAF funding

Speaking about delays in the distribution of NSFAF funding, Nangolo said: “There are always delays. In fact, students receive their funds towards the middle of the year. This means that, in the early months of the year, our students are on their own.

“Many of them don’t have a place to stay as they cannot afford rent on their own.”

Neema said the delays were due to untimely invoice submissions by higher learning institutions. She said: “Delays in funding detrimentally impact students, hindering their ability to attend classes and meet basic needs. For many students reliant on NSFAF funding, delays bring their academic pursuits to a complete halt.”

But Nangolo said NANSO was engaging authorities over the matter. “At the moment we have engaged NSFAF and the government to increase NSFAF non-tuition fees to at least NAD25,000 to better assist and support students financially. We have also called for the fund to pay out students on time. However, this has clearly been unfruitful because, by the end of March, students still have not received anything.”