Sasco threatens protest action over Nsfas funding

South African Students Congress has threatened to call for a countrywide students mass action over education funding problems caused by failures in the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) system which rejected many qualifying students.

Nsfas spokesperson, Kagisho Mamabolo, said the Nsfas management acknowledged the delays in communicating the outcome of results to some of the students. He said the delays could be attributed to a number of challenges including the changes in last year’s academic calendars at some institutions. He said there was also a significant number of applications that had missing supporting documents.

Following its national executive meeting at the weekend, Sasco lambasted the Department of Higher Education for failing to monitor Nsfas to ensure it applied the government decisions to fund poor students.

The department announced last year that all students from households with income below R600 000 per annum and the so-called “missing middle”, automatically qualified for funding.

Sasco resolved to demand for the resignations of the Nsfas information section team for giving misleading information about the real state of affairs at the body.

Sasco secretary-general, Thembani Makata, said Nsfas system had collapsed several times – leaving a large number of students stranded at universities without knowing the outcomes of their funding applications.

“We welcome the resignation of Nsfas CEO ( Msulwa Daca), but we don’t believe that he should be the only one to go. The person or persons responsible for the Nsfas information system must also go,” Makata said.

She said some students were told that their applications had been successful but there were no more funds available while other applicants received no responses at all. The many acknowledged applications of some students have disappeared from the system.

“The Department of Higher Education is failing to play its role of monitoring the Nsfas to ensure it implements its decisions to the full. We are very angry with the department for disappointing so many students it promised to finance this year,”Makata said.

A group of students at University of Free State in Bloemfontein yesterday protested outside Nsfas office demanding funding after their applications were not responded to.

Nsfas Mamabolo said overall, 9 976 applications were unsuccessful due to financial ineligibility, as they were categorised within the “missing-middle” category. However, these students may appeal the decision

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