The new eligibility criteria for the National Student Financial Assistance Scheme (NSFAS) have been causing controversy. During a meeting with stakeholders, the minister of higher education tried to address the issue, but some people are not convinced by the decision.
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande met with the USAf and SAUS to discuss the concerns of students.
The meeting was held to address the concerns of students about the new NSFAS eligibility criteria. They were informed that the new criteria would be implemented progressively from 2024.
Through the end of March 2019, the NSFAS has provided over a million students with funding. Out of these, over 530,602 are beneficiaries of the SA Social Security Agency.
Over 400,617 students have enrolled at universities, which is more than the number of students who attended TVET colleges. Also, over 81,281 students have been confirmed for funding at TVET colleges.
Nzmande noted that the agency has made various changes to its systems to speed up the decision-making process regarding the funding of students.
According to Nzimande, the agency is now able to make real-time decisions regarding the funding of SASSA beneficiaries. It is also working with SARS to ensure that the same process applies to all its other applicants.
Before the planned protests, the Student Affairs Unit of South Africa (SAUS) held a series of meetings with various stakeholder groups to identify the various challenges that it could face. It also agreed on the necessary steps to address these issues. However, despite the various agreements that were made, almost all of these groups failed to uphold them.
The agency is also working with SARS to ensure that the same process applies to all its other applicants. It is currently able to make real-time decisions regarding the funding of SASSA beneficiaries.The minister noted that the agency would continue to work with SARS to ensure that all its other applicants are treated equally.
