The challenges within the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) which were negatively impacting students led to the dissolution of its board by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande.
The Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) expressed concern about the dissolution of the NSFAS board and have offered their assistance to NSFAS to ensure NSFAS allowances are paid on time to students.
NSFAS provides comprehensive bursaries and student loans to deserving students enrolled in approved courses at universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. NSFAS funding not only includes money for tuition and registration fees but also includes several allowances for food, accommodation and learning materials.
ISFAP CEO Morné du Toit acknowledged NSFAS's critical role in transforming lives and highlighted their own experience with efficient student funding systems.
Du Toit emphasised the willingness of private organisations to help, stating ISFAP's desire to work alongside NSFAS.
Private sector organisations and everyone behind them are willing to help and we certainly are putting up our hands and saying ‘If we can be of any assistance we would love to be there'.
Corruption Allegations Cloud the Issue
Earlier in 2024, serious corruption allegations emerged, implicating Minister Nzimande, former NSFAS board chair Ernest Khosa, and the Communist Party. The accusations centred on kickbacks for awarding contracts to companies managing student allowances.
The failure of the NSFAS board to terminate the contracts of service providers who were awarded these contracts was one of the reasons cited by Nzimande in his decision to dissolve the board.
Minister Nzimande appointed administrator Freeman Nomvalo to focus on timely payments.
Focus on Solutions
Du Toit welcomed Nomvalo's appointment, citing his previous involvement with ISFAP. He expressed hope for collaboration between the two organisations.
We are hoping that because he knows what we can do, there might be an opportunity for us to help.
ISFAP stressed the importance of prioritising timely payments, highlighting the devastating impact delays have on students' lives.
We are looking at poor students who literally will not have something to eat if those allowances are not paid on time. You cannot even start to think about students being successful in their academic pursuits if they don’t even have their basic needs taken care of,
Du Toit also called for addressing accommodation challenges, including the introduction of caps and accreditation issues.
"These are all things that have significantly impacted students, all we want to see is someone coming in taking charge of the situation and once and for all resolving these issues so that students can get the help and the support they need," said Du Toit.
