The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) wants to ensure that only deserving students receive the comprehensive bursaries administered by the scheme. This has seen thousands of students who were being funded lose their funding.
In a three year period between 2018 and 2021, NSFAS spent approximately R5 billion funding 40 000 students who were later found to be ineligible to receive the NSFAS bursary provided.
NSFAS seeks to provide bursaries to students from poor and working-class backgrounds allowing them to obtain their first tertiary education qualification. This qualification can be completed at a public university or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college.
The financial aid scheme implements a strict eligibility criteria to ensure that students are deserving of the bursary. Bursary applicants are required to prove they meet the eligibility criteria set by NSFAS by completing a NSFAS application and submitting documents required by NSFAS.
How Ineligible Students Receive Funding
NSFAS spokesperson, Slumezi Skosana says the scheme found that students would submit false information and falsified documents when applying for NSFAS funding. The financial aid scheme would then approve their NSFAS application based on the falsified information and the student would receive funding.
While students were initially rejected by NSFAS, they would submit an appeal and allegedly provide falsified information to ensure their NSFAS appeal application was successful.
During 2023, NSFAS defunded more than 30 000 students said to have been undeserving and dishonest. Dishonest students will have their funding revoked, however, this may not be the end of their dealings with the financial aid scheme.
Skosana says any discovery of falsified information could result in the withdrawal of NSFAS funding and NSFAS allowances.
Furthermore, NSFAS would consider the cancellation of any allowances previously awarded, effectively taking away the benefits that were obtained under false pretences. The student would also be disqualified from all future NSFAS funding opportunities.
Skosana emphasised that this measure is taken to safeguard the legitimacy of the aid scheme and ensure that deserving students continue to receive the support they need.
Beyond financial implications, applicants caught in such scenarios could also be required to repay all funds they have received to date and in severe cases, they could be expelled or dismissed from their higher education institution.
Skosana says they are not being insensitive to the reality that many students who do not meet NSFAS’ eligibility criteria still can’t afford the costs of tertiary education. However, they say they are simply following what their policy says.
They added that NSFAS was required to strengthen the system during the course of 2023 as some undeserving students were approved for funding. This includes collaboration with third parties to verify student information provided during their NSFAS application.
These third party entities include the South African Revenue Service (SARS), state security agencies, the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
Skosana acknowledged that sometimes data provided by these entities may not be up to date and stressed the importance of ensuring NSFAS has access to real-time data so that only deserving students receive funding.
NSFAS Board Chairperson Ernest Khosa said these collaborations with third parties have assisted NSFAS make more informed decisions about funding students
