Cabinet approves funding for all NSFAS qualifying students
The uncertainty about funding has led to sporadic protests by students
All higher education students who qualify for funding from SA’s key funding agency for poor students and who have been admitted to higher education institutions will be funded, higher education, science and technology minister Blade Nzimande announced on Thursday
Nzimande says his department will have to reprioritise its budget to find the billions of rand needed to fund the additional students. It’s not yet clear how much is needed and which programmes in the department will be starved to finance the new students, but the minister said at a post-cabinet media briefing that funding for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) in 2021 will amount to R42.1bn compared to just less than R36bn in 2020...
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