THE number of politicians supporting the proposal to end the National Students’ Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is increasing.
This fund is facing problems as there are always complaints from students and staff and it is not long before it is put under the control.
Dr Mimmy Gondwe, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, suggested that this fund be closed because there is no longer any need for it. He said that we are always overwhelmed by problems and there are many complaints from different organizations about it.
“It is not done with NSFAS, a system has been introduced where the applications of those seeking funding will be considered, and then it will go directly to the Treasury to release this funding. NSFAS has failed to do what it was established for,” he said yesterday while speaking in Parliament, when the department’s budget was presented.
The Minister of Finance, Mr. Enoch Godongwana, made this call which was criticized by others saying that there is no longer a need for NSFAS. He said that NSFAS is not doing what it was set up to do as it ends up handing over to other companies the task of transferring funding to students.
He suggested that this work should go back to the educational institutions because they are the ones who register the students. The leader of the EFF, Mr. Julius Malema, said that NSFAS should be done away with and the task of issuing benefits should go to educational institutions so that it would be easier for those who do not receive funding to go directly to the institutions to ask.
The chairman of the Higher Education committee, Mr. Tebogo Letsie, said they do not support the proposal to close NSFAS.
He said that although they are worried about the lack of stability in NSFAS, this fund will save a lot of needy students.
“We are concerned about the delay in providing students with money as well as the fact that there is no stability in this fund. But this year, this fund has supported more than 740,000 people in need of tuition fees.”
Mrs. Karabo Khakhau of the DA, suggested that SETAs should be abolished because corruption eats away at them. Some members of Parliament also expressed concern about the lack of stability in NSFAS as well as the problems faced by SETAs.
The MEC of the department, Mr. Buti Manamela, said that the priority now is to ensure that there is stability in NSFAS and to create a direction for what will happen to it.
He said the NSFAS budget will increase to R54.6 billion in the 2028/2029 financial year.
“The department’s budget is R149.2 billion, universities are allocated R101 billion of this money. TVET skills colleges are allocated R14.7 billion, community colleges are allocated R3.3 billion.”
He said they are strengthening campaigns against violence against women in educational institutions as well as strengthening security.
He lamented the debt that grows every year for students who owe money to educational institutions.
Members of Parliament complained that some students are being held back from their degrees and are unable to find jobs because of debts.