Over 400 000 applications approved by NSFAS

 By: Staff writer

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has evaluated and approved 476 000 students for funding for 2021.

NSFAS CEO Andile Nongogo says they are experiencing challenges with some students not able to upload necessary documents as well as an increasingly high number of new applications.

“This is a direct result of the economic downturn our country is facing and is also exacerbated by Covid-19.”

For those whose applications were unsuccessful, Nongogo says: “Of course, for those students who have been found to be unsuccessful, the appeal process is open.”

The appeal process can be done on the online NSFAS portal.

According to the CEO, they have also approved 171 000 students for TVET colleges.

On Thursday last week, higher education minister Blade Nzimande announced that the cabinet has agreed that funding for students be reprioritised from the department’s budget to ensure all deserving students are funded.

This would see about R6 billion be reprioritised in order to supplement NSFAS budget.

“Further reprioritisation can only be considered as part of medium-term budget process of government, which takes place later this year,” Nzimande said.