DA welcomes the 2 weeks NSFAS funding application for eligible students
18 August 2021
The DA notes the decision taken by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board to open applications for two weeks for unfunded students. This will give more students the opportunity to further or complete their studies.
The DA raised concerns when the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology revealed in a reply to our parliamentary question that 52 992 university students and 93 532 Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students did not receive NSFAS funding for the 2021 academic year. The response also revealed that 22 014 students already achieved their undergraduate university degrees, while 22 649 exceeded the N+2 rule which allows students an extra 2 years of funding to complete their degrees. 8 326 students failed the previous year.
With NSFAS limited funding received from the budgets of universities and TVET colleges, as well the national skills fund for the 2021 academics year, the scheme would be able to fund just more than a million students, and with appeals are still pending and some students not receiving their accommodation and meal allowances, as in the case of the University of Fort Hare, concerns are that NSFAS will be inundated with a flood of applications.
The DA is calling on the parliamentary portfolio committee for higher education, science and technology to call NSFAS to provide the following: