The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is working to ensure timely payments to accommodation providers and prevent student evictions. This follows reports of missed payments that caused concern among students.
NSFAS provides comprehensive bursaries and student loans to eligible students enrolled in approved programmes at universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in South Africa.
The funding provided by NSFAS includes money for tuition and registration fees. NSFAS also provides allowances for living expenses such as food and stationery as well as money for accommodation for students who require it.
Addressing Unpaid Allowances
NSFAS acknowledged receiving complaints about unpaid accommodation allowances and their impact on students. They established a dedicated email address NSFASAccomProv [at] nsfas.org.za (NSFASAccomProv[at]nsfas[dot]org[dot]za) to handle all disputes and concerns related to these allowances. Accommodation providers are encouraged to submit any complaints or queries to this email address.
The initial deadline for accommodation providers to submit complaints was extended from 10 May to 31 May, 2024. NSFAS assures that all inquiries received by this deadline will be processed and paid by the end of May. Any outstanding invoices will be addressed in June.
Preventing Future Issues
NSFAS is taking a proactive approach to prevent future accommodation problems. They announced that a National Conference is scheduled to take place in September 2024. This conference will involve stakeholders, including public and private accommodation providers, to discuss and develop solutions for regulating private student housing.
A task team has also been set up consisting of representatives from all student accommodation stakeholders has been formed to address related issues. This team will report back with findings at the September conference.
These initiatives aim to achieve greater certainty for investments in student housing, ensure student safety, and establish standardized options for private accommodation.
