At the Southern Africa Students’ Union (SASU), one of our core priorities is removing the economic barriers that prevent thousands of young people across the SADC region from accessing and completing higher education. We believe that education is a fundamental right—not a privilege reserved for the few who can afford it. Across Southern Africa, students face rising tuition fees, high costs of living, underfunded financial aid schemes, and structural inequalities that make tertiary education inaccessible to many, especially those from rural, low-income, and marginalized communities.
SASU works to challenge and transform these conditions. We actively advocate for the expansion of public investment in higher education, pushing for national governments to allocate at least 20% of their budgets to education, as committed under international and regional frameworks. We also call for transparent, equitable student funding models—including grants, scholarships, and interest-free loans—that can support students through their academic journeys without pushing them into long-term debt.
In addition, SASU campaigns for the elimination of discriminatory fee structures that penalize students from other SADC countries, despite the regional commitments to educational integration. We promote policies that harmonize tuition, simplify visa processes, and recognize regional student mobility as a right, not a bureaucratic burden.
Through coordinated student action, policy engagement, and strategic partnerships, SASU is building a movement to break the cycle of exclusion and ensure that higher education is financially accessible to all. We believe that no student should be denied an education because of their economic status—and we will continue to fight until that vision becomes a reality.
