Crippling student loan interest rates - disgusting

We app**** for a student loan for my son, Matthew Mashiane, to study Electrical Engineering at UCT at the beginning of 2013. And each year after that, we app**** for a top up. I spoke to my personal bank manager about pushing the commencement of the repayment to May 2018 as my son had been selected by an agency for a 3 month software development course, and would then start his permanent engagement from 23 April 2018 so would only be earning a salary from then. I also asked if the monthly payment could be reduced as a R8600 repayment is very high for a young graduate (this isn't the most important request). So now I am told, if I change these two simple terms, it would result in: 1. The interest rate increasing from 10% to 25%!!! They now want to convert the Student loan to a persoanl loan. Would ABSA really do this to a student loan? Surely this is completely wrong. We should be trying to help students study and not at such a cost. Study loans are supposed to be there to assist the "missing middle", but without completely crippling them. That would result in him having to pay more than twice the amount of interest, all because we asked for installments to start 6 months later while he is training. My personal account manager has tried EVERYTHING to fight this, but ABSA has rejected this outright. I have emailed the Student Loans manager, Jabulani Hlubi and I did not get any response. Basically ABSA you are failing your young graduates...and this actually is the future of your bank. In the meantime, which trying to negotiate new terms, ABSA has handed me over to lawyers .I am appalled at the absolute horrible treatment of this issue...basically exploiting a student and young graduate.