Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

11 February 2025

3 minute read

The NSFAS student financial aid scheme is crucial in providing financial assistance to tertiary education students from low-income households so that they can access TZ Colleges and universities.

The limitations of NSFAS have caused “significant distress” amongst students enrolled at universities and colleges. The “primary problem,” says Dr Lena Meyer, is their dependence on government funding which is being reduced yearly due to budget cuts. From the Department of Higher Education and Training’s budget, more than 70% goes to NSFAS, causing an erosion in the university budgets. With “more and more money being allocated to NSFAS,” there is less money for the operational budget of universities. The second issue is the way NSFAS is structured. They do not have access to data and information on students making validity questionable; and they are marred by “allegations of corruption, maladministration, and inefficiencies”.

Fundamental decisions need to be made like the question of whether NSFAS really is necessary, and can the “middle man” be cut out so that money can be paid directly to universities to administer bursaries for poor students.

Dr Lena Meyer says that “NSFAS as it stands currently is unsustainable” because it works like a grant where there is no requirement for students to pay it back. NSFAS’s main aim  should be to “serve the needs of the needy people”.

“We have to make tough decisions,” says Dr Meyer, to facilitate restructuring and fixing of the systemic challenges, for universities to operate effectively. “It is not getting better,” she concluded, and stated that we cannot be “proud of one of the best systems in the world that is so poorly managed.”

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on Sabahul Muslim.