Archive photo (Photo: NSFAS, Facebook)
The debate on the future of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) took a new and significant turn after a parliamentary session in which Buti Manamela, the minister of higher education and training, admitted for the first time that it was time to reconsider the NSFAS model.
According to the DA, this recognition is not simply a technical adjustment in policy language, but a “decisive moment” that indicates a system that has lost its usefulness.
Dr. Delmaine Christians, the DA’s spokesperson on higher education and training, says the minister’s statements confirm what the party has been arguing for a long time.
“The DA completely agrees with Minister Manamela, who has now admitted for the first time in parliament that it is time to reconsider the NSFAS model. This is a shocking admission, but it only confirms what we have been saying for a long time: the current system simply does not work anymore.”
She further emphasized that the conversation is no longer just about repair, but about replacement.
“When even the minister admits that the model needs to be reconsidered, then we are moving away from mere reform. We are moving closer to the inevitable reality that NSFAS will have to be replaced.”
Students bear burden of system in crisis
According to the DA, the parliamentary involvement on NSFAS did not only focus on political disputes, but on a much bigger question: why students are still faced with financial insecurity, accommodation disputes, overdue appeals and debt exclusion, despite repeated attempts to restore stability.
“What became clear in parliament is that the problem is much bigger than the current tension between the minister and the former council. The core question remains why students still experience financial insecurity, why there are still accommodation disputes, why appeals pile up and why debt exclusion continues, even after so many interventions.”
Third administration in less than ten years
NSFAS has now been placed under administration for the third time in less than a decade – something the DA describes as a clear sign of structural failure.
Stock photo for illustration (Photo: Unsplash)
“There is no more evidence needed that NSFAS has failed. We have seen repeated governance crises, board instability, turnover in executives, audit findings, delays in payments and ongoing uncertainty for students and institutions. This is a pattern, not an exception.”
She added that the students remain the biggest victims.
“It is the students who are always the hardest hit by this. They are the people for whom this system is supposed to work, but year after year they bear the burden of a system that does not fulfill its obligations.”
No difference with previous interventions
The DA further says that during the session, Manamela could not explain how the current administration differs substantially from previous interventions, nor could he demonstrate how a fourth crisis would be prevented in the future.
“The minister could not explain what makes this administration different from previous administrations, nor could he make it clear how we can prevent South Africa from ending up in the same situation again and again. An administrator may bring temporary stability, but it cannot be the standard answer every time NSFAS falls into crisis.”
‘Temporary Patches on Broken System’
According to the DA, administration cannot become the permanent solution for a system that repeatedly fails.
“An administration is a temporary measure. It may bring stability for a moment, but it doesn’t fix the fundamental flaws. We can’t keep putting band-aids on a broken system and hope it lasts.”
She emphasized that the country needs a serious national conversation about student funding.
“We need a serious national conversation about the role of institutions, about accountability, about administrative efficiency and about models that really work for students.”
The DA argues that a more decentralized system should be considered, in which students’ funding is paid directly to educational institutions.
“This will eliminate many of the current barriers and drastically reduce student uncertainty.
“The real question is no longer whether NSFAS can survive another administration, but why a failed NSFAS has not yet been replaced by a workable alternative. South Africa cannot afford to continue this cycle of crisis, intervention and relapse.”