AIM / PURPOSE
The purpose of this Student Loan Policy document is to:

• Provide clarity to members of the Shree Pretoria Hindu Seva Samaj on the processes and procedures to be followed when applying for study loans for post matric (tertiary) studies either for themselves or for their direct dependents;
• Ensure that fair and transparent processes are followed in the awarding of student loans; and
• Provide assurance that public funds spent for student loans are properly managed and accounted for

RATIONALE / BACKGROUND
Ever since the arrival of the first Gujarati Indians to Pretoria in 1927 and the establishment of the Shree Pretoria Hindu Seva Samaj in 1932, the desire to educate the young enjoyed a top priority in the minds of these early pioneers. In 1937, the community built a Gujarati School firstly in Marabastad and later in Laudium to ensure that the language of their forefathers continued to flourish. Later, in 1996, the community again rallied together to help establish Trident College (formally Pretoria Hindu School) to satisfy the growing need of the community for a school that could provide excellent secular education within a Hindu ethos. If there has been one constant in its history, it has been the Gujarati community’s willingness to sacrifice dearly in order to educate its young. In 1997, the Seva Samaj, through its youth wing, decided it needed to help the many Pretoria Gujarati families who were unable to provide their promising youngsters with a tertiary education due to a lack of funds. A fund-raising drive was embarked upon, and in 2000 a student loan scheme was launched, called the Pretoria Navyuga Mandal Education Fund and subsequently renamed in 2010 as the Academic Financial Support Programme (AFSP). This successful scheme has been directly responsible for assisting many needy students to realise their academic potential and attain their dreams of a better life.