BENEFICIARIES PERSPECTIVE OF THE STUDENT LOANS REPAYMENT CHALLENGES IN ESWATINI

This study explored the beneficiaries' perspective on the student loan repayment challenges in Eswatini. This research is based on the previous recipients of the Government of Eswatini Scholarship Board's education loans, and it utilised a mixed method approach with quantitative dominance to collect the data that was analysed. Findings from the study revealed that about 47% of the participants/respondents faced challenges with student loan repayments, 64% of the participants/respondents were reluctant to repay the student loans, 47% believed attitudes towards repayment were critical, 80% believed that their quality of life is negatively affected by the repayments after they graduate and 57% believe that the student loan repayment strategies need to be improved. Recommendations from the study were: (i) the restructuring of the various student loan programmes available, (ii) that borrowers be allowed to repay their loans before graduation if they have funds that remain unused when they complete their degrees, (iii) that borrowers be trained extensively on loan repayment obligations before applying for student loans, (iv) that comprehensive information be collected about the possible residential places of the applicants and their next of kin as this will make tracking them easier, and (v) the Scholarship Board provides its employees with cutting-edge training, technology and equipment to ensure their efficiency.