Troubled adverse audit described and over 36,000 student beds still need to be accredited.

As the academic year begins, 36,170 student beds at both universities and Technical Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) colleges still need to be accredited by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

This was revealed by the acting CEO of NSFAS, Masile Ramorwesi, during a briefing to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education.

"In universities, a total of 77,331 beds have been registered, 49,411 beds have been accredited and are available for the registered NSFAS-funded students and 27,920 are still to be accredited," Ramorwesi told Parliament.

"In Tvets, out of the total of 40,522 beds registered, 32,272 beds have been accredited and are available for the registered NSFAS-funded students and 8,250 are still to be accredited."

He said NSFAS has appointed four "solution partners" to assist it with student accommodation.

He said that 39 "accrediting agents" were appointed in May to assist with inspections at properties. He also said an ad hoc committee had been set up to assist the board with student accommodation.

On Monday, GroundUp reported that students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology have been struggling to find accommodation since 31 January, and have been sleeping in a multipurpose hall without mattresses or other...