By Levy Masiteng

The Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) has welcomed the outcome of an independent forensic investigation that cleared its CEO, Mpho Mookapele, of allegations of misconduct and irregularities. 

This follows allegations submitted to Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister Mimmy Gondwe by the former Chief Financial Officer after her termination in December 2024. 

They included claims of irregularities in discretionary grant processes, unauthorised international travel, misconduct linked to the War on Leaks programme and victimisation of staff.

“In response, and in line with its commitment to accountability, the EWSETA board acted decisively, commissioning an independent service provider to conduct a comprehensive and impartial investigation in January 2025,” said EWSETA. 

They said the final report was submitted last month which concluded that these allegations were unfounded.

The key findings of the investigation included no evidence of wrongdoing, no misconduct linked to War on Leaks Programme and a parliamentary oversight where the matter was further scrutinised at a Parliamentary hearing by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on 26 February 2025.

“This level of parliamentary oversight further underscores EWSETA’s commitment to transparency and public accountability,” EWSETA added. 

With the CEO now cleared, it said it would focus on implementing the report’s recommendations to strengthen internal controls and reinforce its governance framework, with the aim of building a transparent, ethical and high-performing institution that delivered on its mandate to advance skills development in South Africa’s energy and water sectors.

“While the organisation remains open to scrutiny, it is equally firm in addressing misinformation. EWSETA will take appropriate steps should false or misleading claims result in undue reputational harm.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Akani Nkuna

The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng has strongly criticised the provincial education department for failing to conduct background checks of 3400 learner transport drivers, calling the oversight a dangerous breach of child safety protocols.

According to the DA, the department’s negligence in vetting drivers poses a serious risk to the safety and well-being of schoolchildren. The party is demanding urgent intervention to prevent potential abuse and ensure compliance with safeguarding regulations.

“The Gauteng department of education’s (GDE) failure to thoroughly vet 3400 scholar transport drivers against the Child Protection Register (CPR) puts the safety of learners at risk. This failure could lead to incidents of sexual harassment against learners and expose them to inappropriate materials,” said DA Gauteng spokesperson for education, Michael Waters.

He accused MEC Matome Chiloane of gross negligence.

Waters said the department’s failure to properly vet transport drivers, who have unfettered access to learners during their daily commute, reflected a disturbing disregard for student safety and a broader pattern of mismanagement within the provincial education system.

“The department’s failure to vet school transport drivers comes of the back of another fiasco where it was found that 12 teachers convicted of sexual offences were allowed to teach school children,” Waters added.

Replying to questions, Chiloane said in a letter to the Gauteng legislature that the divers possessed valid police clearance certificates, as mandated by the tender process.

He added that each driver has undergone the necessary security screening, in line with the terms of reference for the service.

“The responsibility of vetting drivers lies with the bus owners, as employers. The department will request the companies to address this matter,” Chiloane said.

The MEC also revealed that the department allocated R1.7 billion annually to school transport.

He noted that the department in collaboration with key stakeholders, including departments of community safety, roads and transport, health and municipalities must ensure safety standards and regulatory compliance are maintained in the provision of scholar transports services.

“GDE has not received any status report for vehicles transporting learners as this is the competence of the department of community safety,” Chiloane said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

The University of Johannesburg were crowned USSA champions after delivering stellar performances across a broad spectrum of events at this year’s spectacle that was hosted at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria over the weekend.

With terrific performances from athletes like Precious Molepo, Nolwazi Mashaba and Phemelo Ntoe (to name a few), UJ gathered 322 points, more than 40 points ahead of the second place finishers, the University of Pretoria (278). North-West University finished third with 276 points and the University of Free State fourth (200).

On a different note, Bayanda Walaza was the only athlete to qualify for the World Athletics Championships at this event. Also setting the championship alight, were record breakers Barnard, Reinstorf, Geldenhuys, Uys and the NWU relay team.

South Africa’s Olympic silver medalist, Bayanda Walaza, once again demonstrated that he is a man on a mission when he blew the men’s 100m field away on day one, running 10.00 seconds. The 19-year-old sprinting ace has crowds on their feet wherever he goes, and it was no different at this year’s USSA championships.

The former world under 20 champion, Mire Reinstorf, flew over the pole vault crossbar that was set at 4.35m. In 2022 the Stellenbosch University athlete cleared 4.00m, meaning Reinstorf finds herself in the shape of her life.

Zenè Geldenhuys (USSA Ind), the Commonwealth Games medalist, bolted around the track to improve her own 400m hurdles record to 55.70.Her previous record set in 2023 stood at 55.75.

In the men’s 4x400m relay event, the team from North-West University bettered the record set by the same institution in 2021. The previous time of 3:07.05 was exchanged for 3:05.06.

Colette Uys (UP) cemented her place as one of the most versatile field athletes in Africa when she won the women’s discus throw competition as well, walking away with three gold medals in three days.

In the men’s and women’s 200m races, underdogs Kyle Zinn (UWC) and Annestaysha George (UP) sprinted to gold in their respective events. Zinn ran 20.65 seconds, and George 23.54.

Wernich Van Rensburg (UFS) outsmarted Namibia’s Andre Retief (NWU) to win the men’s 400m hurdles in 49.95. Dipping under 50 seconds is a special feat for any long hurdle athlete.

The University of Johannesburg made a clean sweep in the men’s 10000m final in the early hours of day 3. Boikanyo Motlhamme clocked 30:46.01 to win the gold medal, leaving the rest of the podium spots open for his teammates Prince Madume (silver, 31:01.13) and Phemelo Ntoe (31:01.56).

Karabo Mailula (UP) and Nehang Khatala (USSA Ind, NWU), the women’s half-marathon and 5000m champions, went head-to-head in their 25 lap race. It came down to a sprint finish, but it was Mailula who wanted it more. She ran 34:53.89 to secure another gold medal. Khatala clocked 34:55.45 for the silver.

Michaela Oosthuizen powered her way to victory in the women’s 800m final. Leading from the gun, the confident University of Pretoria athlete finished the race in 2:07.54, about 5 seconds ahead of the silver medallist.

The men’s 800m title went to Molifi Mohlomi from the University of Free State. Pacing his race perfectly, Mohlomi (1:49.11) dragged three more athletes to sub 1:50.

On the field, Karmen Fouché (NWU) jumped 1.75m and 6.40m to win the women’s high and long jump competitions. Her teammate, Ewald Jansen, threw 75.55m to secure the gold medal in the javelin.

UP’s Peace Adedokun leaped 16.20m in the men’s triple jump, securing valuable points for the Pretoria side. Aiden Smith’s (USSA Ind) exceptional 20.24m put was enough to win the gold medal in the men’s shot put event.

Finishing strongly, UP’s women sprinters controlled the 4x400m relay from the clap of the gun. NWU finished second, and TUT third.

USSA remains a breeding ground for the next generation of South Africa’s world-class athletes and citizens. While UJ won the championship, everyone who competed contributed to the spirit of the sport.

USSA

By Ayobami Precious Adekola and Azwihangwisi Helen Mavhandu-Mudzusi

In South Africa, the age of consent for sex is 16 years old. Engaging in sexual activity with someone under the age of 16 is considered statutory rape, even if the minor consents as defined under the law that applies to adults.

In December 2021, South Africa’s Department of Basic Education introduced a policy aimed at reducing the country’s high rates of teenage pregnancy and sexual exploitation. It requires educators to report cases where older sexual partners impregnate learners under 16 years of age.

We are researchers in sexual and reproductive health who have been working on a decade-long community engagement project focused on improving HIV prevention and related challenges among learners. The project is in the Vhembe district of Limpopo province, South Africa, bordering Zimbabwe. Sexual health practices among young people here remain a pressing concern, due to high rates of unprotected sex, sexually transmitted infections, HIV and unplanned pregnancies.

As part of the project, we conducted a study of the statutory rape reporting policy for schools. It showed a disconnect between the policy’s intent and implementation. We found that some rural teachers were unaware of the policy, were not sure what they were supposed to do, or faced cultural, social and systemic barriers that left them feeling powerless to act.

The result is that the child protection law is failing the learners it was designed to safeguard.

Because teachers are often some of the first adults to become aware of statutory rape cases, it’s crucial to equip them to deal with disclosures appropriately, navigate reporting protocols confidently, and engage support systems effectively and help prevent future sexual abuse of learners.

Lack of awareness of policy

Our research was conducted at eight public primary and high schools in the Soutpansberg North school circuit of Limpopo. All the schools are in rural, under-resourced and poor communities. There is a high number of HIV infections and unplanned teenage pregnancies in the schools where the study was conducted. The true incidence rate of rape is different because it’s not always reported.

We engaged 19 educators (16 of them female) through group discussions.

Teachers expressed confusion and frustration over the lack of formal communication and training on the statutory rape reporting policy. Some were unaware that such a policy existed. One admitted:

Honestly, I wasn’t even aware that we had a policy on statutory rape. It’s not something we’ve ever discussed in our school.

Another teacher said:

I know there’s a policy, but I’m unsure where to find it or exactly what it says. As educators, we need to be informed about policies, but it feels like no one communicates them effectively to us.

Cultural and socioeconomic barriers

Beyond a lack of awareness, the discussions suggested that socio-cultural norms hinder the implementation of the statutory rape policy in rural areas.

The study highlighted that intergenerational relationships are normalised in some rural communities. In these cases, families may depend financially on the older male partner, making them reluctant to report such relationships as criminal offences.

In some cases, families tacitly support relationships between young girls and older men in exchange for financial support, making such arrangements difficult to challenge.

A participant shared:

It’s difficult because some parents tolerate these relationships as normal and support their kids to sleep with older men, who in turn provide for the family.

Teachers encounter immense social pressure when faced with statutory rape cases. In tight-knit rural communities, reporting a case could mean accusing a neighbour, relative, or local authority figure. This creates a moral dilemma for educators who want to protect learners but fear community backlash.

As one participant put it:

If I report it, they might turn against us.

These socio-cultural dynamics create a culture of silence that protects perpetrators rather than victims.

What’s missing

The study also found that a lack of training on statutory rape policies is a barrier to effective implementation. Teachers reported feeling unprepared to handle the legal and emotional complexities of reporting statutory rape cases.

There’s been no training at all. We hear about the policy, but they don’t teach us how to implement it or what steps to take if something happens.

Another teacher added:

There is no formal memo from the circuit office and from our school governing body meetings; it was never introduced as an agenda item.

The absence of confidential reporting mechanisms further complicates the situation. Teachers fear that reporting cases could lead to retaliation from the community or even threats to their safety. The lack of a standardised anonymous reporting system leaves teachers feeling vulnerable and unsupported.

Teachers indicated that fear of community backlash led them to prioritise managing learner pregnancies over investigating potential rape cases. Some said it was the parents’ responsibility to report rape.

Proposed solutions

We recommend a few ways to improve reporting of statutory rape:

Mandatory training for educators: The education department should ensure that all teachers understand their legal obligations and know how to navigate reporting procedures.

Confidential reporting systems: Establishing secure and anonymous reporting channels.

Community awareness campaigns: Programmes to help shift harmful cultural norms and make it easier to report statutory rape. Campaigns should emphasise the importance of protecting minors and the legal consequences of statutory rape.

Interdisciplinary support networks: Schools should collaborate with social workers, legal professionals, and mental health experts to provide educators with the support and resources needed to handle statutory rape cases.

Bridging the gap between South Africa’s statutory rape policy and what actually happens in rural areas is a social justice imperative that affects the most vulnerable members of society.

Ayobami Precious Adekola is a Postdoctoral Researcher at University of South Africa and Azwihangwisi Helen Mavhandu-Mudzusi a is Professor at University of South Africa.

The Conversation

By Thapelo Molefe

The bail hearing of a Walter Sisulu University (WSU) residence manager, who is accused of allegedly killing a student during protests, was postponed on Friday due to a power failure at the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court.

Manelisi Mampane, 54, allegedly shot Sisonke Mbolekwa and wounded two others at the university last month.

Mampane faces charges of murder, attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm after allegedly opening fire on a group of students at the university’s Mthatha campus. They were demonstrating over a number of issues, including the state of accommodation.

Mampane made his first court appearance last month where he indicated that he would apply for bail.

Students made it clear that Mampane must remain behind bars.

A family representative for the Mbolekwa family, Phiwaba Modokwe, said they agreed that Mampane must not be granted bail.

“A life has been lost, lives have been altered, and this has not just traumatised the family, but it has traumatised the entire student community and many members of the society,” Modokwe said.

“So we are of the view that bail must not be granted.”

She also condemned the use of guns in tertiary institutions, saying that whether the firearm used to kill Mbolekwa was licensed or not, “no student should go back home in a coffin”.

WSU convocation secretary general Misheck Mugabe also spoke out against firearms at the university.

“We are disappointed with the issue of unlicensed firearms in campuses. We want a gun-free campus, that is why we are here to play solidarity with the family of Sisonke,” he said.

He added that they had requested that the media to be allowed in court, saying that “if you are innocent, you don’t have anything to hide”.

During the first court appearance, journalists were barred from attending the court proceedings.

The family of Mbolekwa has since requested via an affidavit that the proceedings be open to the press.

Last month, Institutional Student Representative Council president Abalungile Madikizela stressed that the accused should remain behind bars

“From our view as students we believe that with everything that has happened, he has not shown any indication that he regrets what has happened or that it was a mistake because if that was the case, he would have handed himself over to the police.

“But what happened is that the police had to chase him up and down the country begging him to hand himself over for his actions,” she said.

Mbolekwa was laid to rest in Matatiele last month

Hundreds of students gathered outside the court on Friday to demand justice for Mbolekwa.

Mampane will appear in court again on Tuesday.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Janine Greenleaf

There is an expectation gap between high school and university life, which arises from differences in academic expectations and the level of independence required at university. First-year students often find themselves unprepared and ill-equipped for the different academic demands and greater autonomy that they face.

This was evident in an address by Tatiana Sango, the Test Development Coordinator at the University of Cape Town (UCT), when addressing Universities South Africa’s Community of Practice (CoP) for the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics (TLM) at the body’s first sitting on 9 April.

Sango, who presented an analysis of the National Benchmark Tests (NBTs) for the current 2025 student cohort, said: “What does this mean for students’ future? Does it mean they will struggle in their first year at university? Nationally, only 32% of students at South African universities finish in regulation time. We are responsible for informing high school learners whether they are prepared for university and their chosen course of study.”

The NBTs – administered by the Centre for Educational Testing for Access and Placement (CETAP) on behalf of Universities South Africa (USAf) – are assessments for first-year applicants into higher education institutions and were designed to measure a student’s ability to transfer understanding of Academic Literacy (AL), Quantitative Literacy (QL) and Mathematics (MAT) to the demands of tertiary coursework.

They were introduced in South Africa in 2005 by Higher Education South Africa (HESA) and complement the National Senior Certificate (NSC) results. The NBTs are often used by universities to support placement decisions.

“The primary purpose of the NBT is to promote student success in higher education through the assessment of an applicant’s academic readiness for university,” emphasised Sango.

She explained that AL examines the student’s capacity to engage successfully with the demands of academic study in the medium of instruction within the context of higher education; QL, which is also part of the same multi-choice test, looks at the student’s ability to manage situations or solve problems of quantitative nature in real contexts of higher education and MAT explores students’ depth of understanding and knowledge relevant to mathematically demanding disciplines within the context of the NSC curriculum. Tests are explicitly designed to probe higher education competencies.

Sango described the difference between the NSCs and the NBTs: “In respect of each subject, the former looks at what extent has a Grade 12 student met the Curriculum Statement expectations as expressed in the Subject Assessment Guidelines. The NBT, in respect of each domain, examines to what extent a school-leaver applying to university is prepared for the core AL, QL and MAT demands of higher education study.”

She said some students may be doing well at school but score low marks in NBTs.

“Often Grade 12 learners familiar with the way questions are asked at school suddenly find questions posed in a dissimilar way, which they don’t always comprehend. Often, students who write the MAT multiple-choice test say that, while the test itself is not necessarily difficult, the way the questions are asked is different. This is their first preview of what might be coming when they start first-year mathematics,” she explained.

“In general, the NBT benchmark performanceproficiency level for degrees starts at about 70% and up for Al, QL and mathematics, and for diploma and higher certificates at around 60%. The basic cutoff of 35% is the top indicator for a degree and 30% for the diploma high certificate,” she said.

The NBTs provide additional information to:

Help make decisions about an applicant’s access to university.

NBT results are used in addition to, and do not replace school leaving academic performance and exam results.

For certain faculties (for example Health Sciences), NBT results make up a specific proportion of an overall admission score.

NBT results may be used as an indicator of eligibility for an early offer (in addition to the Grade 11 results) or an Entrance Scholarship.

Guide placement within the university.

May guide recommendations for additional support, augmented courses or extended degree programmes.

Help develop curricula within the universities.

NBT scores for the cohort allow teaching to be responsive to student needs and guide and inform curricular changes.

Sango said there are huge financial and emotional costs when students drop out of university or take much longer than the regulation time to complete their degrees, and this needs to be addressed.

Sango then unpacked the results of the 2025 applicants to Higher Education (HE) who wrote the NBTs. 

Under 29% were judged proficient according to their AL tests; 11.5% for QL and 13% for MAT.

She reiterated that these are not actual students but applicants, meaning that a percentage of them would have ended up at university.

Sango then examined the data relating to an applicant’s choice of intended faculty of study.

She focused on those looking to enter education and engineering faculties as examples.

 “Those who wrote the MAT test and were looking for a place in an education faculty were probably intending to go into a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field. Five percent were AL proficient while 1% were QL and MAT proficient. They placed between 67 and 79% in the three basic benchmark categories. If you look at those who wanted to pursue engineering as a degree, 15% were in the proficient category in the MAT test.

“These results demonstrate that there is a mismatch of expectations,” she said. “If they end up in the system, do they do well in their chosen studies?”

Of the 51,048 who wrote the 2025 Academic Quantitative Literacy (AQL) tests,Gauteng, the Western Cape and online(provinces where the applicants reside were not identified) each had 20% of candidates followed by Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) with 13%, Limpopo 9%, Eastern Cape 8% and Free State 5%. On the other side of the scale were Mpumalanga with 2% and Northern Cape and North West province with 1% each. International and other African countries made up the remaining 1%.

The results were similar in the 2025 MAT tests. Of the 40 094 candidates, 21% were from Gauteng, 20% online and 16% from the Western Cape. This was followed by KZN 14%, Limpopo 11%, Eastern Cape 8%, Free State 5%, Mpumalanga 2% and Northern Cape, North West Province and international and other African countries with 1% each.

“We can see that there is a difference between the provincial preparedness level, particularly when looking at results between basic and proficient competencies. Gauteng and Western Cape lead the way, even though the picture is changing.  KZN also did well in AL,” said Sango.

“There is an urgency, and a responsibility, for us to tell learners whether or not they are prepared for first-year university and the fields of study they wish to pursue. Whether the institution they are applying to requires an NBT or not, it is an opportunity for them to know how they have done. It gives them a window of opportunity to prepare better, to think more deeply about the future and decide whether they should seek help from day one if they are accepted into an institute of higher learning. This helps address some adjustments students must make to become top learners.”

Sboniso Mzulwini, a Mathematics Lecturer from Nelson Mandela University, agreed that high school learners who wanted to further their education should be encouraged to take the NBT, recalling his test in 2012.

“I got very high marks in mathematics in high school, but my results were lower in the NBTs. It was an excellent tool to address the potential challenges I would face in my first year of university. It gave me an insight into what was coming and allowed me to prepare for it.” 

Janine Greenleaf Walker is a contract writer for Universities South Africa.

This article was first published by Universities South Africa.

BY Levy Masiteng

Bridging the digital divide is not just a matter of equity, it is necessary for the country’s collective future, according to Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane.

The minister was speaking at the official launch of the Digital Innovation Lab at the Esayidi TVET College in Umzimkhulu in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday. 

She said the opening of the lab was a testament to the government’s commitment to bridging the digital divide and empowering the youth with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

The lab is equipped with cutting-edge technology, including virtual reality and advanced manufacturing techniques. 

Earlier in April, the first cohort of lecturers and facilitators were trained to utilise the lab’s resources and provide quality of education to students.

“As we move forward, I am proud to say that the lab is already in operation,” said Nkabane.

“Opening the doors of learning and bridging the digital divide is not just a matter of equity; it is a necessity for our collective future.” 

Students engaged with the minister at the launch, showcasing their innovative projects and how the new lab would prepare them for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The lab, she explained, was a beacon of hope, demonstrating that with the right tools and opportunities, every student could achieve their full potential.

Nkabane highlighted the lab’s role in enhancing employability, noting that digital skills have become essential for career readiness in today’s job market.

That was why the facility was providing students with the skills they needed to thrive in a robotics-driven manufacturing environment.

“Through exposure to robotics programming, automation systems and smart manufacturing techniques, students will learn how to design, maintain and troubleshoot robotic systems. (These) skills are increasingly sought after by employers in the manufacturing sector and beyond,” Nkabane said. 

She encouraged students, lecturers, industry partners and the broader community to take full advantage of this new resource.

South African Technical Vocational Education and Training Student Association president Kgaogelo Chokoe praised the department’s commitment and urged the student body to protect the new facility. 

“Even though challenges and frustrations may arise, no harm should ever come to this lab. It is ours to protect, preserve and grow.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lungile Ntimba

The North West education department has handed over infrastructure projects to Ikageng schools in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district as part of its accelerated service delivery programme – Thuntsha Lerole.

New Bright Beginnings Primary school received a clear view fence, while Nanogang Primary School now has a borehole.

Education MEC Viola Motsumi emphasised the importance of providing learners with quality education in a conducive learning environment. 

“As the department of education in the North West province we will ensure that we reach out to all schools in the province through Thuntsa Lerole. We will ensure that the learning environment is conducive for learning and teaching.”

She added that fencing and access to water were essential components of a well-functioning school, directly impacting the quality of education learners receive.

“We want our children to be taught in a safe learning environment hence we have provided a clear view fence, and this security initiative is implemented in many schools across the province,” Motsumi said.

“At Nanogang primary, we have installed a borehole in order to address the shortage of water experienced at the school. All these contributions will ensure that teaching and learning takes place without any interruption.”

Last month, newly constructed toilets were unveiled at Monakato Primary School and 38 school uniforms were given to learners at Maumong and Tlapa primary schools as part of the programme.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thebe Mabanga

Waseem Carrim, the interim CEO of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, says stability and full resolution of outstanding operational issues will take between six and eight months.

These include making payments to service providers and student allowances, and addressing challenges around student accommodation.

On Monday, NSFAS apologised for the delayed payment of TVET student allowances originally scheduled for last Friday. Due to a system glitch related to the size of the batch files, these payments were processed on Saturday and have been reflected in all student accounts as of Sunday.

Carrim confirmed that NSFAS would make all outstanding payments from last year to accommodation service providers this week.

“We have not been an efficient and effective organisation, and we realise that delayed payments cause frustration and anxiety. We are working to address these in a timely manner. Payment to accommodation service providers will be settled within this week,” Carrim, who took up his role in early March, told Inside Education.

Payment of student accommodation has led to frustration among landlords and students, with some facing eviction or unable to access accommodation for this academic year.

Earlier this month, NSFAS urged students who had received R10,800 designated for accommodation allowances to settle their outstanding payments directly with their landlords.

Carrim confirmed that the delayed payment in student allowances was caused by a technical glitch due to batch sizes, with four files processing up to 50,000 records each.

Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane apologised for the inconvenience on Monday, saying “delayed payments are unacceptable”.

“We recognise the impact of these delays as students depend entirely on their allowances for living expenses. We are committed to ensuring that our students receive the essential support efficiently and promptly.”

Carrim also confirmed that by the end of this week, all TVET colleges’ allowances, all university upfront payments, and accommodation top-ups until the end of April would be paid.

He said NSFAS has retained intermediaries for the payment of accommodation and other services, while students were often paid directly or through their institutions.

Carrim noted that other causes of delayed payments included hold-ups in finalising registrations and the outcome of appeals for students whose funding has been declined.

In her statement, Nkabane confirmed that most appeals have been dealt with, without saying how many. 

“The NSFAS Appeals and Tribunals Committee is currently reviewing these outcomes to ensure consistency and appropriate application of policy,” the minister said.

Carrim told Inside Education that the challenges around accommodation started when NSFAS took over this function from institutions. The issue was that the infrastructure was uneven, especially for accommodation in rural provinces.

South Africa currently has a backlog of 300,000 beds in student accommodation, and NSFAS looks after one million students in universities and TVET colleges at any given time.

“The first thing we need is a student accommodation policy,” said Carrim.

This policy would set norms and standards and possibly regulate costs.

He also said infrastructure needed to be addressed, as was currently done by the Department of Higher Education and the Department of Human Settlements.

“This will then allow us to hand the function back to institutions.”

He said that one area of improvement he hoped to drive was throughput, or the proportion of NSFAS-funded students who completed their studies, which currently stood at about a third.

“We need to see an improved return on investment,” he said, noting that if a student did not complete their qualification, there was already investment that had gone into them for a year or two.

The scheme needed to dedicate resources to tracking these students to assess their progress and their impact and contribution to the South African economy.

Carrim said a key moment of change for the scheme came about in 2018, in the wake of the #FeesMustFall protests that swept across university campuses in 2016. This led to NSFAS changing from partial loan funding to full bursaries.

Moving into the future, he wants to help develop a culture of excellence that will help define an “ideal NSFAS student” in conduct and academia.

Although students from the past five years were no longer required to pay back loans, the youth activist who worked at the National Youth Development Agency before joining NSFAS, said it was important that beneficiaries contributed to helping the scheme become sustainable and changing the trajectory of youth unemployment because a substantial number of graduates struggled to find employment once they left tertiary institutions.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Edwin Naidu

How long should the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) be given to get its act together?

On Freedom Day, the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, had to accept another apology from the troubled student funding scheme over delayed payment of Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) student allowances originally scheduled for 25 April.

Due to a system glitch related to the size of the batch files, these payments were processed on Saturday, 26 April, and have been reflected in all student accounts as of 27 April.

NSFAS is actively collaborating with its financial services institution to resolve this issue and prevent any recurrence in the upcoming months.

Around 800 students at a specific institution experienced challenges transferring funds, which the scheme committed to fixing this by Wednesday.

Promises! Promises! While that was the title of a 1983 song by British pop band Naked Eye, referring to a relationship, this is also a relationship that is not working for the country and requires desperate intervention.

The song goes:

“You made me promises, promises
Knowing I’d believe
Promises, promises
You knew you’d never keep.”

The love affair between NSFAS, the tertiary sector and the students it is meant to serve, is sorely tested despite an inexperienced new board and a wet-behind-the-ears interim CEO who, despite his excellent qualifications, seems to have no experience or clue, let alone standing, in the higher education sector.

Waseem Carrim, the former CFO and CEO of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), was appointed acting CEO on 5 March, firmly committed to tackling the crisis. More than a month later, it is not a great start.

NSFAS cannot seem to function without falling into dysfunction. While some problems predate the new brooms in charge, NSFAS has outstanding amounts from 2024 owed to students and accommodation providers.

The scheme is currently working on communication to outline the way forward regarding the outstanding amounts of 2024, which will be released by the end of April.

What is needed is people who can do their job and process payments efficiently, not communication, which was the style of Nkabane’s predecessor, Professor Blade Nzimande, who seemed to believe public relations would erase the corruption and the scandals prevalent at NSFAS and indeed many Sector Education Training Authorities under his watch.

Nkabane needs time to fix the mess Nzimande left. It is a monumental task, especially considering the shenanigans at some of the Setas. That’s for another day.

Concerning NSFAS, Nkabane ought to invest in a review of the state of higher education in South Africa to understand the funding crisis, the curriculum transformation, the success and failure rate, and most importantly, whether the country is getting bang for its buck regarding its investment in the sector.

Of course, the suggestion of a review is old news, made more than a year ago, but Nzimande did not listen to anybody because he thought he had all the answers.

The results of many failures in higher education are glaring.

Professor Jairam Reddy, one of the architects behind the founding vision of tertiary education in the post-apartheid era, called for a review of the state of higher education.

Having chaired the National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) in 1995 during the tenure of the country’s first democratic minister of education, Professor Sibusiso Bengu, Reddy said that the time was ripe for a new commission.

This commission should swiftly review the state of higher education and propose urgent changes. Unlike the NCHE, which he chaired for 18 months, Reddy suggested this should be a shorter exercise – perhaps six months – and involve about five experts on higher education, including one international expert.

The NCHE report’s proposals were used to draft the post-apartheid White Paper on Higher Education, which provided the policy outline for the Higher Education Act. A new review would certainly guide the needs of the future.

Reddy, a former council chair at the Durban University of Technology, also called on the department to review the standard institutional statutes regarding university councils and leadership suitability, given the changes in the higher education environment during the past 15 years.

He said the DHET task force, of which he was a member, examined the university councils and made recommendations, among them reducing the number of council members from 30 to 24 or 20 for each university and reducing ministerial nominees from five to three.

Of course, if you want to flood these councils with cronies, you would ignore such a suggestion. New brooms sweep clean, and Nkabane is committed to ensuring that higher education serves all people, not just hers.

Reddy’s call for a review of the tertiary system is premised on identifying the strengths and weaknesses of higher education and critically evaluating the effectiveness of certain institutional mergers that were initiated by the late Professor Kader Asmal, the minister of education, and were implemented by him and his successor, Naledi Pandor. The mergers took place in 2004 and 2005.

The funding of the higher education system needs to be looked at again, too—is it adequate and equitable, and what is the efficacy of the NSFAS, the government’s bursary scheme for students who have been struggling to overcome a myriad of problems?

Reddy said the NCHE in 1995 recommended a well-thought-out funding model for students in tertiary education in which students who could afford university fees were not to be funded; a second category, which comprised most of the incoming black students, previously denied university education and mostly from poor backgrounds, were to be given bursaries; a third category in the middle who could afford partial fees were to be given loans to be repaid on graduation and entering the world of work.

He told me this model worked well for a few years despite the very low loan repayment rate. However, this model was turned on its head during Jacob Zuma’s presidency and the #FeesMustFall campaign. Most students are expected to be fully funded, which is simply unaffordable despite a considerable increase in NSFAS funding.

Reddy, a former vice-chancellor of the University of Durban-Westville (which merged with the University of Natal to become the University of KwaZulu-Natal), said the funds were initially transferred to universities and dispersed according to their student requirements.

Then, at some point, the dispersing of NSFAS funds was centralised. He said this has led to ongoing problems, including the current issues related to the fund.

In his view, if the funding is outsourced to individual universities, they are better positioned to disperse the funds. In some cases, universities will need assistance, which can be easily provided.

“The whole model of NSFAS funding, as currently administered, needs to be revisited,” he said.

Nobody listened.

The ongoing troubles at NSFAS indicate a need to consider what the education and civil society experts propose as a reasonable way forward, per Reddy’s suggestion. Otherwise, Nkabane will constantly entertain excuses from the sorry NSFAS without finding a way forward that benefits South Africa.

“Access to education is not just a privilege; it is a fundamental right that facilitates personal and national growth,” the minister said on Monday.

“This statement is meant to address two critical matters that are at the heart of my commitment to supporting our students in their pursuit of educational excellence: the timely disbursement of TVET allowances and the NSFAS appeals process are paramount towards a streamlined and transparent funding process that ensures that no student is left behind.”

Promises! Promises! The minister should act on NSFAS’s broken promises, given her noble intentions. A fresh review could provide better solutions than being hostage to the ongoing NSFAS ineptitude.

Edwin Naidu is the Editor of Inside Education.

INSIDE EDUCATION