Zuma promises to cast the NSFAS net wider
The threshold will be raised to make more student eligible for government assistance
Government is set to raise the NSFAS funding threshold, so that more students will qualify for the state funding scheme. Noting in his state of the nation address on Thursday that students had expressed concern that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) threshold of R122,000 is too low, President Jacob Zuma said: "We will have to look into this matter with the view to raising the threshold on a phased basis in the period ahead." Many students, the so-called missing middle, are deemed not poor enough to qualify for government funding, although they are also unable to afford university fees. He said students had also pointed out that the full cost of study at some universities was higher than the subsidy NSFAS provides. As a result, NSFAS students who studied at some universities that charged higher fees ended up accumulating debt. "Our government-initiated processes are already looking at this issue too," said Zuma. Tension is expected to run high again this year at unive...
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