The start of the 2023 academic year kicked off with protests at several institutions across the country, mainly sparked by student concerns on funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
In May, hundreds of disgruntled students from institutions all over the county marched to the NSFAS Cape Town office, demanding action on grievances ranging from funding statuses and student accommodation to the new direct payment system and NSFAS allowances.
While many beneficiaries are still battling these issues, several students have now raised concerns saying that have been left in limbo, claiming their statuses suddenly changed from "approved" applicants to "rejected".
The students say they were approved by the bursary scheme and had been receiving their monthly allowances since the beginning of the year, however, payments stopped in May.
EFF Student Command
In a recent statement, the EFF student command revealed that it wrote to Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande and the NSFAS highlighting student grievances.
The students of South Africa are beginning to run out of patience, and if our letters keep falling on deaf ears, we will be left with no other choice but to exercise our democratic rights and take them to the streets.
Secretary-general of the EFF Students' Command, Zwanga Dombo, said they were aware a large cohort of students had fully funded status, which had since changed in the middle of the academic year.
Dombo noted:
There has no explanation from NSFAS to take the nation into its confidence about how a student can have their status changed from “fully funded” to ‘pending decision.
He added, “This is resulting in thousands of students have not received their allowances whilst others are face eviction from landlords and student accommodation providers.”
Other alleged issues highlighted by the EFF command include:
- The Un-funding of eligible NSFAS students.
- The NSFAS direct payment system and its service providers gross inefficiencies and exorbitant transaction charges.
- NSFAS to have offices in all nine provinces.
- Corrupt vice chancellors, principals, and middle management.
EFF student command stressed, "We advised you, both via countless letters, pickets, sit-ins and meetings that if these issues are to be overlooked and not attended to with the highest level of urgency and seriousness, they have the potential to throw Higher Education into an upheaval with far greater consequences than that of the #MustFall movement in 2025-16."
NSFAS on Application Statuses
Responding to concerns regarding the abrupt change in funding statuses, the bursary scheme affirmed that students whose statuses were on ‘pending decisions’ have now been assessed and the outcome is reflected on the profile on the NSFAS portal.
Students who are funded will reflect on the funding list whilst those who are rejected can lodge appeals with correct supporting documentation.
“It should be noted that if the appeal option button is not available on the student's profile it means that the application has been declined and closed due to reasons that cannot be appealed,” they add.
Furthermore, the scheme has reminded students that beneficiaries at all levels or years of study are required to meet the NSFAS financial and academic eligibility criteria to receive funding.
The bursary warns that If at any stage it is discovered that a student’s eligibility criteria have been compromised, corrective action will be taken immediately, including removing from the funded list those who may have supplied falsified or misleading information.
“As much as management appreciates the sensitivity and moral considerations for funding poor and destitute families; the adverse but correct outcomes of stringent application of NSFAS information vetting protocols would, naturally, result in unintended and adverse results against funds approved and advanced to students based on either fraudulent, misleading and contradictory supporting documentation.”
NSFAS says that the updated funding list as of 15 June 2023 is available on the NSFAS portal for institutions to view.
