Nzimande missed the last opportunity to ensure stability in the higher education sector

2 February 2022

Note to Editors: Please find an attached soundbite by Chantel King MP

Minister Blade Nzimande’s ‘Higher Education Readiness Briefing’ on Tuesday was nothing more that PR stunt with the same tired rhetoric he employed in 2021. Instead of addressing the real issues, the Minister attempted to present a flowery version of reality.

Minister Nzimande indicated during his briefing that NSFAS was ready to fund all qualifying students. However, NSFAS’ funding guidelines for 2022 has not yet been released nor has there been any indication from the Minister on how the entity’s funding shortfall will be covered.

Should these issues not be addressed, South Africa’s higher education institutions will again be at the centre of protest action as a result of NSFAS’ funding shortages.

The Minister’s promise that all qualifying students will receive NSFAS funding also stands in complete contradiction with the comments made by the NSFAS CEO, Andile Nongogo, during a parliamentary oversight at Sol Plaaitjie University in the Northern Cape, that funding guidelines cannot be released if there is no confirmation of how the NSFAS shortfall will be covered.

The DA therefore urges Minister Nzimande to immediately release NSFAS funding guidelines for 2022 and to urgently present how the NSFAS funding shortfall will be covered.

Fee-free higher education is yet another failed ANC socialist policy. It is for this reason that the DA suggest to the Minister that the department:

Revert back to the Heher commission’s findings on the sustainability of fee-free higher education

Stick to the NSFAS Act in its current state, which indicate contingency loans converted into a bursary on condition of academic distinction

Set up a single application system that includes all avenues of funding source from public and private sector

Reprioritise funding towards scarce skill, especially in the TVET sector

This is the most prudent way to create a fair system for all students to benefit and to ensure a wider access to tertiary institutions by funding more TVET colleges linked to scarce and apprenticeship skills.

Issued by Chantel King, DA Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Science & Technology, 2 February 2022