Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has instructed institutions to admit National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) students with outstanding fees as they prepare for the 2024 academic year.

Nzimande emphasised that students should not be blamed for unpaid fees and urged a quick resolution to outstanding payments. In previous years, attempts to bar NSFAS-funded students from registering led to violent protests.

Nzimande denied claims of NSFAS being unable to fund most qualifying students, stating that 657 000 out of 1.5 million applications have already been approved for the current year.

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