THE National Student Financial Aid Scheme, spokesperson Slumezi Skosana, responds to allegations that students who were ineligible to receive funding between 2018 and 2021, did.
According to a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation, between 2018 and 2021, roughly 40 000 students received funding from Nsfas.
Unfortunately, many tertiary students have been left in the dark, after the financial aid scheme decided to cut off the funding for their studies.
The investigation indicated that applicants have falsified their information in order to receive funding.
Over the past four years, NSFAS spent R5 billion on students who did not qualify for the funding.
“In order to “strengthen the system”, the process of application has been restructured by cross-referencing data with external parties such as Sassa, Sars and Home Affairs to confirm the information provided by the applicant.
There is a potential push-back on the changes, but I think it would just be prudent that we focus on the positives of the changes that we have implemented,” commented Skosana.
Meanwhile, the South African Union of Students (SAUS) says it has reached an agreement with the Higher Education authorities on issues of NSFAS’ payment of student allowances.
Students at Tshwane University of Technology blockaded the entrance to the Pretoria West Campus last week in protest of the eZaga app, which facilitates monthly allowances to students.
SAUS National Spokesperson, Asive Dlanjwa says, “We have reached an agreement.
For instance, on the issue of fees, fees shall be kept at R12 and all cards will be given to the students in the next 72-hours and 90% of the students should be on board and paid.
By the time students get back to university, all students should be paid.”
