The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), a crucial body providing bursaries and student loans in South Africa, has introduced stronger regulations for private student accommodation providers. These updated norms and standards for private accommodation are considered essential to better manage this sector and tackle ongoing issues related to quality and maintenance of student residences.
NSFAS funding plays a vital role in enabling access to higher education for many South African students. The scheme offers comprehensive financial aid, including bursaries and student loans, to eligible students enrolled in approved programs at public universities and TVET colleges.
This funding covers not only tuition and registration fees but also provides several allowances to assist with the costs of food, accommodation, and learning materials.
To ensure that student accommodation meets acceptable standards, NSFAS implemented an accreditation process. This process is based on the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) Norms and Standards for Student Housing, providing a clear framework for evaluating and approving accommodation.
Gift Moleko, the spokesperson for the National Association of Student Accommodation Transformation (NASAT), has highlighted significant challenges facing student housing providers. These include delayed payments to landlords, difficulties in securing necessary municipal certificates, and the resulting financial strain on small-scale providers in the student accommodation sector.
Previously, when students received their allowances directly, there were instances where they would move into private accommodation, and when the money came in, they would leave. This solution has both advantages and disadvantages, but now, small-scale accommodation providers like myself can operate because NSFAS has taken over the process.
Moleko explained, "Some of these certificates, like your rezoning and all of them, require the intervention of the municipalities. The reluctance of municipalities can therefore lead to some student accommodations not meeting the minimum norms and standards."
A recent productive meeting took place between NASAT and NSFAS’s acting CEO, Waseem Carim, with a focus on finding solutions to these pressing issues within the student housing landscape.
Moleko expressed his support for NSFAS’s direct payment system, which ensures that landlords receive funds directly. This measure aims to prevent the potential misuse of funds by students intended for accommodation costs.
The new standards for student housing mandate that facilities must include designated study areas, adequate communal spaces, accessible laundry facilities, and a regulated ratio of essential amenities such as showers and stoves. These requirements are designed to improve the overall living and learning environment for students.
Some of the new requirements include one wash basin per four students, one shower cabin per seven students, two stoves per six students and one showers per four students.
Concerns about poor accommodation conditions were raised following reports suggesting that some students were living in inadequate structures like shacks. In response, NSFAS launched an internal audit through its Board Ad Hoc Committee on Student Accommodation to thoroughly investigate these serious claims.
One of the responses by the acting CEO of NSFAS was that they will look into ensuring that they go down to municipalities and engage them in making other processes easier to allow us, as student accommodation providers, to receive all the necessary documentation on time.
While the audit did not find official records confirming students residing in such extreme conditions, it did uncover instances where some students had changed accommodation without properly updating their lease agreements and college records. This highlights the importance of accurate information sharing within the NSFAS student accommodation system.
To proactively address the need for quality housing, NSFAS introduced a Student Accommodation Pilot Project. This initiative aims to ensure that only accredited, quality housing options are funded through the scheme.
The NSFAS accreditation process involves several key steps. Providers must first complete registration, followed by physical inspections of the properties, grading assessments to evaluate the quality of the accommodation, and final approval before students can apply for housing at these residences through the NSFAS portal.
Moleko stressed the critical need for better cooperation with municipalities to expedite and streamline the often lengthy certification process for accommodation providers. Improved collaboration would significantly benefit the student housing sector and ensure more providers can meet the required standards.
Despite these positive steps and measures being implemented by NSFAS to improve student accommodation standards, the demand for student housing in South Africa still significantly exceeds the available supply. This ongoing challenge requires continued attention and collaborative efforts from all stakeholders in the higher education sector.
