With the 2022 academic year already underway for all higher learning institutions throughout the country. The government has taken various measures and systemic interventions to ensure that all qualifying students are able to access tertiary education regardless of their financial circumstances.
The most recent of these is the National Treasury Department’s additional funding allocation of R32.6 billion to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme(NSFAS), which was announced during the 2022 Budget Speech on Wednesday.
Although this translates to R47 billion spent on NSFAS alone, there has not been as much stability in higher learning institutions, as some have had to contend with student protests due to delays in funding as well as registrations.
These institutions include the Durban University of Technology, the University of Cape Town as well as the University of the Free State.
In addressing questions around these, Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande says that he has established a stakeholder forum, chaired by the DHET’s Deputy Minister that frequently engages all stakeholders to address any pertinent issues.
He added that most of the issues that often surface around NSFAS are often due to the issue of unfunded students who fall into the “missing middle” category. These are students who exceed the R350 000 annual household income eligibility criteria, but cannot afford a university education.
Nzimande further states that DHET has taken various steps for institutions to accommodate this cohort. An example, of this, he adds, is that some institutions have been able to raise funds to accommodate these students.
Others have been able to register students on condition that they signed debt acknowledgement agreements.
DHET has also been engaging various other public and private institutions such as Banks to establish an affordable loan scheme for this cohort, according to the Minister.
