Question NW983 to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
18 April 2023 - NW983
Komane, Ms RN to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
Following the appeals process of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), (a) what is the total number of students who have been rejected by NSFAS who have appealed and (b) how does he ensure that these are legitimate rejections, noting the historical consistent mistakes by NSFAS of incorrectly rejecting deserving students?
Reply:
(a) 126 030 appeals were received from the rejected applications.
(b) To assess funding eligibility NSFAS is reliant of third parties such as:
- Department of Home Affairs (DHA) – to confirm applicants’ identity and parental information,
- South Africa Social Security Agency (SASSA) – SASSA beneficiaries are automatically funded.
- South African Revenue Services (SARS) – to confirm household income, and others such as credit bureaus.