Student allowances will continue to be distributed through universities for the rest of the academic year.
Student allowances will continue to be distributed through universities for the rest of the academic year.
In a circular notice to all institutions, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) administrator Freeman Nomvalo confirmed they had met Universities South Africa (USAf), where the arrangement was resolved.
“NSFAS has resolved that for the remainder of the 2024 academic year, university students’ allowances will be distributed through institutions (universities).
“This means we will continue with the current arrangement where NSFAS disburses allowances to institutions, which then distributes allowances to students until the end of the 2024 academic year.
“This change does not impact the pilot accommodation process,” the statement read.
NSFAS said it would continue to disburse allowances and tuition fees to institutions based on the valid registration data received and processed. SA Union of Students (SAUS) spokesperson Asive Dlanjwa said that they welcomed the arrangement.
“We welcome the announcement of NSFAS as it pertains to the disbursements of allowances by institutions to the bank accounts of students.
“We, however, welcome it as a reasonable compromise to our ideal and preferred method, which is that NSFAS eliminates all middlemen, including institutions and that they must pay directly to students’ bank accounts.
“However, while a viable and sustainable alternative is being devolved, we welcome the current intervention.
“We also welcome the ultimate termination of the illegal and corrupt direct payment service providers,” said Dlanjwa.
Cape Times
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