It was in 2011 when Universities South Africa, formerly known as Higher Education South Africa, highlighted that the low level student success rate in the public Higher Education system gave a clear indication of the dysfunction of the system. The body also revealed that one third of the sample population completed a qualification in regulation time.
This was followed by some of the Higher Education sector stakeholders calling for both academic support programmes and National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) assistance to be strengthened.
Reflecting on its history, the government bursary scheme takes pride in the milestones that it has achieved to cater to the needs of deserving students.
In a recent statement, the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr. Blade Nzimande said:
For this current financial year, Nsfas has approved the provisional funding of a record and milestone of 1,083,055 students.
According to Nzimande, this is a huge milestone in the government's commitment to fund students from the working class and the poor. This year’s budget set aside to fund these students' education is projected to be around R47.6 billion.
Unlike in the previous year, the government bursary scheme has also committed that Nsfas-funded students will be registering without making any upfront payments for a delayed free academic year.
These payments will be made to public universities and colleges and students will also be paid out on time.
The department will soon engage with university registrars to discuss matters relating to concerns raised by students and parents on the delays in the provision of information in order to facilitate registration by Nsfas.
To meet students halfway when it comes to student housing issues, the Scheme has enabled a student accommodation platform as well as a direct payment platform and to ensure that the well-being of its students is not negatively impacted.
