Hansard: NA: Unrevised Hansard

House: National Assembly

Date of Meeting: 16 Aug 2016

Summary

No summary available.

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Minutes

 

                                          Memorandum from the Parliamentary Office                                             

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR ORAL REPLY

QUESTION 131

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF QUESTION PAPER: 16/08/2016

(QUESTION PAPER 19 OF 2016)

Mr D H Khosa (ANC) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

With reference to some Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges that are reportedly struggling with regard to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) allocations, what plans are in place to ensure that funds that have been allocated by NSFAS to TVET colleges are accessed by students on time to ensure that students do not suffer?                  

NO1853E

 

REPLY:

The Department allocates bursary funds to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges based on student enrolments and available funding.

Thirty-four out of the fifty TVET colleges are using the existing National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) bursary administrative system, which is essentially a labour-intensive administrative system. Processing of student applications is time-consuming and often leads to delays in the submission of student claims to NSFAS and the payment of bursary funds.

The Ministerial Review on Student Funding recommended that NSFAS investigate and implement a student-centred model that would enable a direct relationship with the student from the initial application phase until completion of their study programmes. The new model has been piloted in 16 TVET colleges in the 2014/15 financial year. The model is a complete overhaul of the NSFAS process, which now allows students to apply directly to the organisation. NSFAS aims to fully implement the new student-centred model in the 2017 academic year. The student centred-model is designed to address the challenges experienced by both students and institutions during the application and registration process. It also aims to eradicate the occurrence of fraud and corruption involving the disbursement of NSFAS funding and provide onsite support to all institutions.

The Department and NSFAS continuously monitors and supports TVET colleges’ adherence to the prescribed bursary administration schedule, as well as the overall administration of the bursary scheme. In this regard, the Department and NSFAS have initiated, amongst others, the following interventions:    

1. Advance payments are made to TVET colleges at the start of the academic year, i.e. 30% of a TVET college’s allocation is paid out in advance to exempt NSFAS beneficiaries from paying registration fees, and to pay travel and accommodation allowances to qualifying students;
2. Ongoing onsite support to underperforming colleges;
3. Conducted a regional workshop in March 2016 for Financial Aid Managers, and held a meeting in June 2016 with Principals and Chief Financial Officers to ensure improved administration of the bursary scheme; and
4. Conducted 3 national workshops in preparation for the roll out of the pilot system to the remaining 34 TVET colleges in 2017.

 

Compiler/contact persons:  

Extension:

 

 

 

DIRECTOR – GENERAL

STATUS:

DATE:

 

QUESTION 131 APPROVED/NOT APPROVED/AMENDED

 

 

 

DR BE NZIMANDE, MP

MINISTER OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

STATUS:

DATE:

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