While the National Student Financial Aid Scheme has made efforts to make its student funding application process accessible, monthly allowance allocations have been a recurring issue between the bursary scheme and student representatives in institutions of higher learning.
On several occasions, student movements such as the South African Union of Students (SAUS) had called for an increase in monthly bursary student allowances. At the time, the student movement cited the overall increase in the standard of living due to ongoing inflation.
A recent statement by the SAUS indicates that the Higher Education Department along with the bursary scheme had initially proposed and approved a 5% increase in food allowances. However, the student movement managed to convince Nsfas and the DHET to approve a 10% increment instead.
“After rigorous and militant deliberations, we are more than delighted to announce that we have been able to force the government and Nsfas to increase food allowance by 10%, which effectively is R150 a month.”
The student movement group’s National Spokesperson, Asive Dlanjwa stated that although the increase may not be enough, attaining it is a significant achievement when one considers that food allowance increases were last implemented in 2018.
In welcoming the department’s decision, SAUS further stated that they have been advocating for direct, secure and cheaper disbursements of allowances to NSFAS-funded students for several years and that the increment is a progressive step in the right direction.
Mandated by the Higher Education Department, Nsfas is a government-funded student financial aid scheme that provides financial assistance to historically disadvantaged students from low-income families who wish to study at any of the country's public higher learning institutions.
