There have been concerns about a reduction in allowances for some students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
NSFAS offers comprehensive bursaries and loans to eligible students. This funding covers tuition, registration fees, and various allowances, including accommodation support.
NSFAS understands that living far from campus can be a barrier to education. To bridge this gap, they offer accommodation allowances to eligible students. This financial support ensures location doesn't stop students from attending lectures and achieving their academic goals.
Let's delve into the details of NSFAS allowances for TVET students in 2024, explore the types of allowances offered, and understand the impact of any potential reductions.
NSFAS Allowance Changes For TVET College Students
In a recent policy update for the 2024 academic year, NSFAS, with the approval of Minister Blade Nzimande, implemented new caps on accommodation allowances.
One specific change is the capping placed on accommodation allowances for the 2024 academic year. This has been set at R50,000 for institutions in metropolitan areas and R41,000 for those outside metros. While this represents a decrease from 2023, NSFAS emphasizes that the adjustment is based on extensive research.
While the accommodation allowance has been reduced for non-metro areas in 2024, NSFAS acknowledges the impact. They've opened a channel for institutions and accommodation providers in these areas to propose justifications for higher caps.
These proposals will be reviewed by the NSFAS Board, with the possibility of adjustments being made.
Spokesperson for NSFAS, Ishmael Mnisi, said:
It should be noted that NSFAS has also encouraged institutions and accommodation providers in the Non-Metros to make submissions motivating for the increase in the capping and these will be discussed and decided by the Board.
Some TVET college students have expressed concerns about the decrease in their accommodation allowances compared to 2023.
Mnisi clarified that the new accommodation allowance caps for TVET colleges are a result of a thorough process. This process considers factors such as Accommodation Grading and the location.
We started grading accommodation to determine allowances that we are paying to our institutions, both universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.
NSFAS spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi explained that they implemented a grading system (A to E) for student accommodations. This grade is linked to the amount of allowance a student receives, which also considers the location (metropolitan or non-metropolitan area).
This ensures allowances better reflect the actual cost of accommodation options.
We came up with a grading process. In our accommodation we grade them from A to E and the grading is aligned to the amount of an allowance the student will get depending on where they are located whether in a metro or non metro area.
NSFAS emphasizes that the decision to adjust the accommodation cap wasn't made lightly. They followed a data-driven approach supported by a comprehensive process.
This process involved Data Analysis, workshops and a review of research done by entities like the International Finance Corporation.
