By Edwin Naidu
Another week, more excuses from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The country’s troubled financial aid scheme is again in the news due to unpaid 2024 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) learners’ allowances.
NSFAS should not be hogging the spotlight with alarming regularity. The country must be informed of success stories on how people who NSFAS has transformed are giving back to society.
Of course, that is the best narrative if it is the case. In the current scenario, it is a question of dishing out money that the state does not have for higher education and not seeing whether there is a return on investment. There is no accountability in the real sense for public funds.
To its credit, NSFAS is communicating about its latest challenge, acknowledging that this current situation arose from transitional challenges experienced during the switch to direct payment partners and the subsequent return of this function to NSFAS during the 2024 academic year.
One understands that the transition has resulted in a complex reconciliation process, which has been undertaken concurrently in the 2025 academic year.
But one is growing tired of the ongoing excuses. NSFAS insists it is nearing the completion of this reconciliation process and is committed to resolving the outstanding payments.
Further putting its head on the block, NSFAS has committed to ensuring that payments will be finalised by the end of May.
NSFAS says monthly TVET allowances for the 2025 academic year will be paid on 25 May. The special payment run for all unpaid TVET allowances from the 2024 academic year will be processed on 31 May 2025.
This is a significant commitment by NSFAS. What will happen if these payments are not made on time as indicated? Will someone be held accountable for not delivering on the duties assigned?
In the ideal world, that person would be in charge, in this case, Waseem Carrim, the former boss of the National Youth development Agency, who was appointed acting CEO on 5 March. While he has inherited several challenges, the board and even the CEO, via friends in the media, have spoken up about his credentials.
Nobody wants to see Carrim fail; the sector must succeed, inevitably, NSFAS, too. But it should serve as a lesson that the best person for the job must be hired. It is too early to judge Carrim, despite his lack of academic nous. However, he is as good as the team he is surrounded by. One hopes that Carrim and company will get it right by the end of May.
NSFAS remains steadfast in its commitment to working collaboratively with the sector to meet its obligations and address systemic challenges to ensure the efficient disbursement of funds to eligible students.
Should these commitments not be honoured, inconveniencing learners and TVET colleges, the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, ought to tell the Board Chair, Dr Karen Stander, ernough is enough!
One cannot expect the minister to provide weekly excuses on behalf of NSFAS and its new leadership team, which has not been in sync since its appointment on 19 February 2025.
On 25 April, the minister noted an apology from the embattled student funding scheme over the delayed payment of 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.
At the end of May, if the problem recurs, it will indicate that the time for talking is over, and the minister must act decisively.
Edwin Naidu is the editor of Inside Education.
INSIDE EDUCATION
