No more students sponsored abroad

"This year we have screened only 55 young Batswana to be sent to study abroad. They will be leaving around September/October but next year, there will be no selection because we no longer have money," the Department of Tertiary Education Financing (DTEF) director, Marcos Maedza told Francistown councillors yesterday.

"We are facing a huge problem of students not paying back their loans and it is hard for us to trace a majority of them, especially those working in the private sector but for those working for government, we do not have a problem," he explained. He said the department spends P2.2 billion annually to sponsor students and by 2011, more than P6  billion had not been repaid. He said that some of those who have been sent to study abroad do not return home and do not pay back their loans.