The demand for student accommodation is on the rise as more students enter tertiary education, but this has placed significant strain on the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), and has been a massive barrier to expanding access to tertiary education in South Africa.
Not enough is being done to keep up with the increase in demand.
A student may need housing due to a number of reasons, including living far away from home and/or campus, not having access to reliable transportation to and from classes and financial circumstances.
There are many different accommodation options available, such as on-campus housing, off-campus housing and private accommodation, but there are not always enough beds available.
Not only are there not enough beds, but student accommodation has become incredibly expensive, even for the students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), partly due to the accommodation cap.
In 2023, NSFAS introduced an accommodation cap of R45,000 per annum in an effort to manage the unregulated costs of student accommodation. It will also seek to prevent profiteering and price collusion from private accommodation providers, essentially telling private accommodation landlords "this is what we're willing to pay".
The introduction of the accommodation cap has, however, not been well-received by stakeholders in the sector.
Some students feel that the amount of money they are allocated for accommodation by NSFAS is not enough and could leave them without a place to stay, which has already unfolded for many.
The Department announced exactly how they plan to deal with this ongoing challenge earlier this year, but says that at the present moment, the issue remains unresolved, despite the various measures put in place.
Each year, NSFAS is often delayed when it comes to distributing it's allowances on time, and this year was no different. This then means that without the money allocated for accommodation, students have been left stranded and without a place to sleep.
CEO of NSFAS, Andile Nongogo, says that students are still living in awful conditions, with many sleeping in lecture halls and washing their bodies in campus bathrooms. This stress of essentially being homeless can only be detrimental to students' wellbeing and their ability to study and complete assignments on time.
NSFAS and the DHET have previously attempted to solve some of the accommodation crisis by developing and implementing a Student Accommodation Portal, which allows for students to access accommodation closest to them, and for private accommodation providers to register and advertise on the site.
The ideal scenario is that students know they have accommodation before they arrive at institutions of higher learning, but it has not always played out this way.
Often, students don't hear from NSFAS or their universities/colleges about whether they have been accepted for funding and/or a place at an institution-owned accommodation until after the academic year has already begun, leaving many stuck in limbo.
Receiving the necessary feedback is not in their control, and is the responsibility of NSFAS and the institutions where they are enrolled at, but students are the ones facing extreme challenges because of this delay.
Delays in receiving their NSFAS accommodation allowance leaves students without the funds to pay for accommodation, and if they don't know whether or not they have accommodation, they are unable to know if they should make other arrangements.
Securing student accommodation in rural areas is particularly less than favourable.
The Department established the Student Housing Infrastructure Programme (SHIP) in 2019, which has the aim of addressing the student accommodation backlog through the development of large student housing projects, that will provide over 1 000 student beds each across universities and TVET colleges.
Accommodation conditions are especially bad in rural areas, meaning there is little regulations being set to ensure the health and safety of students residing there.
Because student accommodation in rural areas don't always meet basic requirements, the Department is trying to make sure these facilities are improved and are conducive for studying and student livelihood.
However, a notable challenge is the fact that accommodation providers aren't always credible, and therefore may not be in a position to improve the conditions of the student housing they offer.
These ongoing issues with NSFAS amidst student protests have become a severe headache for thousands of university students who are left stranded and academically excluded due to delays in NSFAS payments.
The student accommodation crisis persists, particularly with the lack of safe and affordable housing currently available to students. However, last month the DHET revealed plans to provide 300 000 beds by 2030.
