Blade Nzimande On NSFAS Bank Charges Impose on Students
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) truly represents one of the most progressive efforts by our government to systematically break the legacies of inter-generational social inequality in access to and outcomes of post-school education and training.
Since 1991, NSFAS funding has grown from disbursing R21.4 million to almost R50 billion to support the education of children from working-class and poor backgrounds who seek to further their studies in our public universities and colleges. This is a clear indication that we have prioritised a massive increase in student funding to radically broaden access to those sections of our communities who had no access to post-school education and training.
Once again, I strongly urge all NSFAS beneficiaries who have not been onboarded or converted onto the new direct payment system to do so urgently. This will enable NSFAS to pay their allowances without any further delay.
Concerning bank charges imposed on student accounts, I have instructed NSFAS to review the entire bank charges regime and identify possible measures to further reduce these costs for our beneficiaries. I am waiting for the Board’s final decision on this matter.
The NSFAS Board has assured me that reports claiming that incorrect amounts were disbursed to beneficiaries are false and misleading. However, if such instances have occurred, I urge affected students to report them immediately to NSFAS.
PROGRESS IN THE ONBOARDING OF STUDENTS ON THE NSFAS DIRECT PAYMENT SYSTEM BY STUDENT PERCENTAGES (%).
UNIVERSITIES ONBOARDED 90% TO 99%
Cape Peninsula University of Technology (96%)
Central University of Technology (92%) Durban University of Technology (96%) Mangosuthu University of Technology (95%) Nelson Mandela University (97%)
Tshwane University of Technology (99%)
University of the Free State (93%) University of Johannesburg (94%)
University of KwaZulu Natal (97%) University of Limpopo (95%)
University of Mpumalanga (97%)
University of Pretoria (96%)
Sol Plaatje University (96%)
University of Stellenbosch (90%)
University of the Western Cape (90%)
University of Venda (99%)
University of Cape Town (93%)
Rhodes University (96%)
University of Zululand (95%)
Vaal University of Technology (91%) Walter Sisulu University (97%)
Sefako Makgatho Health Science University (96%)
UNIVERSITIES ONBOARDED 80% TO 90%
North West University (84%)
University of the Witwatersrand (88%)
UNIVERSITIES ONBOARDED 50% TO 70%
The University of South Africa – UNISA 67%
University of Fort Hare (56%)
In relation to TVET Colleges, the process of onboarding continues as they have multiple academic terms.
The NSFAS institutional support teams will extensively focus their attention on all those institutions whose percentages are low, so they improve their onboarding processes.
The team will continue holding bi-weekly meetings with the institutions’ finance offices and the direct payment partners so that institutions have a platform to raise the challenges and areas of clarity where both NSFAS and the partners are present.
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