Youth Capital has sounded the alarm on the escalating crisis at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The organization warns that the scheme's challenges are jeopardizing the mental health and futures of countless young South Africans.
Careers Portal spoke with Kristal Duncan-Williams, a Project Lead at Youth Capital, to delve into their latest campaign.
We've looked at a number of issues over the last six years but something that's consistently been raised by our community of young people is just the issues around NSFAS.
NSFAS has been plagued by a series of issues, from corruption to chronic delays, that have had devastating consequences for students. The timely disbursement of NSFAS allowances is crucial but remains an elusive reality for many.
"We've heard the horrific stories of young people sleeping in libraries or you know not being able to feed themselves," said Kristal.
People who own accommodations are saying they haven't been paid for months and they're going to have to kick these students out and that's just unacceptable.
The Absence of a NSFAS Board
As NSFAS 2025 applications loom, concerns are mounting about the scheme's capacity to deliver funding decisions on time. A significant factor contributing to these doubts is the lack of a functioning NSFAS Board.
Despite previous efforts to establish a Board, allegations of maladministration led to its dissolution earlier this year. Youth Capital is now urging the appointment of a new Board that includes a younger perspective.
There's many young people who have Master degrees and have the experience who it would be really great to have on the board and so we encourage young people to apply for that. We want to see a board appointed that can be objective, that's qualified to do the job of steering the organization in the right direction.
Youth Capital has also raised concerns about the billions of rands mismanaged by NSFAS annually. They question how many students could have benefited from these funds if they had been used effectively.
The Impact on Youth Unemployment
The crisis at NSFAS is exacerbating the already dire youth unemployment rate in South Africa. When students are unable to focus on their studies due to financial struggles, they are more likely to drop out, further contributing to the unemployment crisis.
"The number of students that NSFAS is supporting is growing tremendously and the system hasn't really been designed to keep up with that", said Kristal, saying that there are "very practical operational administrative issues that that need to be addressed".
Kristal Duncan-Williams emphasizes that a lack of understanding about the challenges faced by NSFAS students is another contributing factor. She calls for greater awareness and empathy towards the plight of these young people.
Lack of understanding of what it means to be young and the struggles that young people face ... engage with young people because I think young people's voices and experiences, as with many things, is not present enough.
"Many decision makers are far from young and are disconnected about what it means to be young in 2024 ... put the benefits of students ahead of everything else."
Youth Capital is calling NSFAS to order - and they want to hear from you! What was your experience with NSFAS? Complete this survey
