FINANCIAL AID SCHEME
Students must sign loan deals or lose out on funding
More than 200,000 students on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) have not received their funding and are in danger of losing it entirely if they fail to sign loan agreements. The NSFAS has a R15bn budget for 2017 and is responsible for providing funds to poor students for tuition fees, accommodation and books. NSFAS spokesman Kagisho Mamabolo said slightly more than 200,000 students had signed loan agreement forms. Unaudited NSFAS data show that more than 700,000 students applied for funding. "The initial number of students the NSFAS paid registration for will change when students come forward to sign the agreements," Mamabolo said. "If they do not, it means they are no longer NSFAS-funded students, thus the NSFAS will not make further payments in this regard," he warned. The NSFAS, which adopted a student-centred model, faced challenges earlier in the year when students shut down colleges in protest at not receiving their living allowances. Higher Education and Train...
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