Kunene: The Students Union of Namibia (SUN) has welcomed recent agreements reached between the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture and the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF), saying the developments will help address challenges faced by students across the country. In a statement issued on Thursday, SUN spokesperson, Ottilie Andreas, said engagements between the union, the ministry and NSFAF had yielded positive outcomes aimed at safeguarding students' academic progress and improving the disbursement of financial assistance.According to Namibia Press Agency, institutions of higher learning have been formally instructed to allow students to sit for examinations despite outstanding financial issues. Ottilie Andreas commended universities and colleges for complying with the directive and prioritising students' academic futures.SUN further announced that the payment of non-tuition allowances is expected to commence during the second week of June. Some students cou ld begin receiving their allowances as early as 10 June, while the majority are expected to receive payments by 12 June.The union said an agreement had also been reached for non-tuition allowances to be paid on a weekly basis going forward. Students were urged to use the funds responsibly and for academic purposes, particularly as the examination period continues.On tuition payments, SUN said it had been agreed that institutions would receive payments at the end of every month. The union called on universities and other higher education institutions to submit invoices and supporting documentation to NSFAF timeously to avoid delays in processing payments."The timely submission of invoices is critical to ensuring that payments are processed without unnecessary delays," Andreas said.SUN stressed that students should not suffer as a result of administrative delays between institutions and funding authorities and called on all stakeholders to act with urgency, professionalism and accountability.The union also encouraged student representative bodies to engage proactively with both NSFAF and the ministry to prevent last-minute interventions and crisis-driven negotiations.SUN reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for accessible, quality and adequately funded higher education, saying it would continue engaging relevant authorities while holding them accountable on matters affecting students.