In recent years, a number of tertiary students and student leaders had complained about the glitches that they faced when submitting their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) online funding application system.
Fortunately, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande had announced that the Scheme’s application system has received a few but yet significant changes.
The Nsfas application system has been simplified and developed to be more user friendly, making it similar to other platforms that prospective applicants are accustomed to such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
In a statement, the bursary scheme has announced:
Nsfas is now available on WhatsApp and through USSD to make it easier for our students to get updates.
According to Nsfas, this new form of communication platforms will allow prospective students to track their applications.
The Scheme had to follow a number of processes, including validation before these platforms can be made available to the public.
Nsfas CEO Andile Nongongo had also mentioned that these channels would be released on the condition that the new system has been stabilised and teething issues have been resolved.
According to Higher Education Deputy Minister, Buti Manamela, Nsfas has received more than one million student applications, 130 000 of these online applications are social grant beneficiaries and they have received instant funding.
As there is not much time left for funding applications for the 2023 academic year, Nsfas pleads with prospective applicants to apply for financial aid because the closing date is 31 January 2023.
