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Johnathan Paoli
THE Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, has responded to the growing problems surrounding the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) direct payment system, by giving the Nsfas Board until the end of August to inform him of their proposed plan in rectifying the challenges.
This follows on the growing protest action of students, as well as several scandals that have rocked the scheme and specifically its CEO Andile Nongogo, who was placed on a special leave following corruption allegations surrounding his tenure at the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Sseta).
Students are still battling to access Nsfas funds and accusations of corruption and maladministration in the awarding of funds are flying thick and fast, but the Minister has remained steadfast in his defence of the payment system.
“Notwithstanding the current challenges, the Minister is of the view that the direct payment solution is a necessary measure to reduce instances of unauthorized access to beneficiaries’ allowances, payment of ghost students, inconsistencies and delayed payments of allowances,” the Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
The Ministry said the direct payment solution is in line with the Student Centered Model which the scheme adopted, and in the interests of transparency and claims of students being defunded, further called on Nsfas to make public the information and details of all individuals found to be defrauding the scheme.
It was further stressed that the scheme funding has increased more than five fold in the last nine years, from R5.9 billion in 2014 to R47.6 billion in 2023 for the funding of roughly 11 million students of which 49% are also SASSA beneficiaries.
There have been growing calls for Nzimande to resign over his department’s handling of the Nsfas direct payment system.
In a statement on Wednesday, the UDM called for his immediate resignation.
Earlier this year, both the EFFSC of North West as well as members of the Wits University SRC called for Nzimande’s head.
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