The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Administrator, Freeman Nomvalo, says the organisation is revising its budget to better address the increasing number of applications received this year.
"Our top priority is to ensure that every eligible student receives the financial support they need to pursue their education," said Nomvalo on Tuesday at a media briefing, which provided a comprehensive update on the organisation's financial status, application processes, and strategic partnerships.
The briefing, held in Pretoria, highlighted significant efforts to improve support for students and enhance inter-departmental collaboration.
"We recognise that there have been delays in getting funds to institutions. To address this, we are improving our coordination with educational institutions and implementing a new tracking system to monitor fund transfers more effectively.
"We are happy to announce that with additional capacity acquired, we will be communicating with universities, TVET [Technical Vocational Education and Training] colleges and students on final lists not later than the end of this month of August 2024.
"On behalf of NSFAS, we wish to express our sincere apologies to the affected students and our colleagues in the post-school education and system. We are working hard to ensure the 2025 academic year is less burdened with the same issues," he said.
In response to accommodation providers' concerns, NSFAS processed bulk catch-up payments of accommodation allowances in the past two months for all legitimate claims.
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As at the 31 July 2024, disbursements for Private Student Accommodation have reached R1 billion rands.
"However, I am aware that there remain some landlords that are aggrieved. The important issue now is to ensure all payments are done on time, as this is the main remaining pain point for accommodation providers. As part of our interventions, we will be hosting the Student Accommodation roadshows across the country, starting in KwaZulu-Natal on the 7th of August 2024."
The roadshows are intended to engage directly with affected landlords that are not able to travel to Cape Town and continues to be affected by payments.
Nomvelo said NSFAS is enhancing its collaboration with the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) to improve the verification process for student grants. This partnership aims to ensure that students who also receive social grants obtain timely and accurate support.
"We are dedicated to continuous improvement within NSFAS. Our future initiatives include policy updates and technological advancements designed to better serve students and streamline our operations.
"We believe that the success of NSFAS is essential to the development of the people of South African and ultimately the country. Any disruption that seeks to derail NSFAS from this mission must be treated as an attempt subvert the mission of the country," Nomvalo said.
