Higher Education has confirmed that there is a shortage of over 400 000 beds for student accommodation for public tertiary institutions, with rural based universities and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges being the most affected.
The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has shared that the shortage of student accommodation exposes students to immense vulnerabilities, such as, serious crimes and gender-based violence.
Higher Education Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande has also pointed out that some students stay in facilities that are not conducive for them to perform in their academic work. To address this challenge, in a statement, Nzimande said:
The department will be working with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) to stimulate the rapid construction of university residences in a manner that will enable the state to eventually own and control these assets.
The department will employ the allocated budget for infrastructure and student accommodation to partner with investors and property developers.
As Nsfas processes are underway, all institutions of higher learning will apply their own existing process to allocate accommodation, and this includes both public universities and TVET Colleges. Nzimande has also clarified that this will not apply in the 2023 academic year’s registration period.
Nsfas will give institutions three months’ notice prior to the implementation of the new accommodation dispensation.
Since Nsfas opened the new accommodation portal and at least 44 accreditation agents were appointed to start with the accreditation of accommodation.
Currently, there are 1120 accommodation providers that have applied on the site, with 574 272 beds listed. Institutions and private accommodation providers have been urged to register on the new Nsfas accommodation portal.
