NEWS

Long, frustrating queues as academic year begins- Is NSFAS ready to deal with such?

WITH only a week before the academic year begins, already there’s despondency.

Main culprit- National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

Students are crying foul over the delayed payments and some owners of NSFAS-accredited accommodation said they can’t take it anymore and some have kicked out students out of their properties.

Bongani Khumalo, a TUT graduate, says the NSFAS payment delays have turned his diploma into a ‘useless piece of paper’ and owes R180,000, meaning he can’t receive his diploma or even an academic record.

Another student is alleged to owe R100. 000 from University of Johannesburg, who preferred anonymity.

Now imagine how many students who are in the same boat, unable to obtain funds from NSFAS countrywide?

This rubbed the deputy minister of higher education and training Dr Mimmy Gondwe, on the wrong side.

She described the scheme as incompetent.

“The issue of pending results was a problem as graduates could not start looking for jobs.

“We need to assist to ensure that the results are released so that learners can go out and those that need to find jobs can do so,” said irritated Gondwe.

ActionSA Gauteng Youth Forum said the situation in the ground across institutions was highly demotivating.

Every year, this time around expect queues, students camping outside varsities as funds for registration fee becomes a thorny issue.

Chairperson of the portfolio committee on higher education Tebogo Letsie, addressed Parliament and pointed out, NSFAS had in the past wrongfully funded students who were not eligible, leading to the defunding of such students mid-year and causing mental health problems.

NSFAS must get its house in order, to benefit and service those underprivileged students nationwide, instead of hogging headlines for wrong reasons.

At the time of publishing, NSFAS had not responded for a comment.

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