Minister Buti Manamela announced that the decision to place the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) under administration is a necessary intervention to protect both students and public resources.
Speaking to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee, the Minister provided the following key updates:
Administration Intervention: The administration process is intended to ensure uninterrupted funding for the more than 800,000 students who rely on NSFAS, while government works to clear appeals backlogs, restore governance, and improve system accountability.
Prioritizing Blocked Registrations: Ahead of the academic year, the scheme reprioritized billion in its budget to unblock registration for 34,000 students (largely from UNISA) and to support 15,000 second-semester students.
System Sustainability: Manamela emphasized that while NSFAS has experienced a history of corruption and funding shortfalls, continuing without significant reform could cause the funding model to collapse.
The department is actively working on long-term structural reforms for a sustainable student funding model.
NB: The administration process will ensure continuity of funding operations while government works to stabilise governance, improve systems, strengthen accountability and build a sustainable NSFAS for the future.
The focus remains on ensuring that poor and working-class students continue to access higher education with dignity and support.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
