MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / Access to higher education fading away

Access to higher education fading away

Dear Editor

While the DA understands the necessity of higher education tuition and accommodation increases, years of alleged National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) corruption and mismanagement, dubious supply chain management processes within the sector, and the ANC government’s unsustainable fee-free model for higher education mean that these increase are unfortunately limiting the number of students that could benefit from NSFAS funding, and also impacting affordability for the unfunded missing middle.

Last year NSFAS CEO, Masile Ramorwesi, warned that 87 000 NSFAS students might lose their funding due to budget cuts. The R45 000 per year student accommodation fee caps will also make it very difficult for vulnerable students to find suitable and safe accommodation.

Given the serious massive potential decline in access to higher education, the DA will send our sustainable alternative funding model to Higher Education Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande.

The DA’s policy focuses on:

  1. Reforming NSFAS to create a sustainable funding environment through a tiered system for loans and grants that will provide substantial financial support to students from low-income households, including the missing middle;
  2. Scrapping the blanket accommodation cap in favour of considering accommodation allowances on a case-by-case basis;
  3. Ensuring that private student accommodation providers’ prices are market related and reporting allegations of price collusion to the competition commission; and
  4. Collaborating with private student accommodation providers through the establishment of public-private partnerships

The DA notes that for higher education institutions to cover operational cost and research commitments, it requires sustainable funding to be on par with world class teaching and learning methodologies.

Minister Nzimande’s time to lead this sector has long gone and with recent allegations against him, it’s time for President Cyril Ramaphosa to heed the call for the Minister to be relieved of his duties.

No student should be left behind, and the DA will continue to push for a more inclusive higher education sector.

Regards

Chantel King MP
DA Shadow Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

Category: Tag:

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Older Persons Grants Land Today — No Need to Queue at Dawn

    Dear Editor, Older Persons grants are paid today, 30 October, under SASSA’s revised November payment schedule — with disability grants on Monday 2 November, children’s grants on Tuesday 3 November, and grants under review on Thursday 5 November. Two things every beneficiary should know. First, grant money does not expire on payment day. It stays…

  • November Grants Pay Early – No Need to Queue at Dawn

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. November grants pay earlier than usual. Older Persons grants are paid on Friday 30 October, Disability grants on 2 November, and Child Support and other grants on 3 November. Grants still under review are paid on 5 November. The money…

  • NSFAS 2027 applications close on 31 October — SASSA households, apply now

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. NSFAS applications for the 2027 academic year close on Friday 31 October 2026, and no extension is expected. If your household receives a SASSA grant, your child already passes the NSFAS financial eligibility test — but they still have to…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Did you know that another country lies within the borders of South Africa? The Kingdom of Lesotho is a sovereign state that is located in the Drakensberg Mountain area. The mountainous country has been nicknamed “the Kingdom in the Sky” thanks to the magnificent scenery and landscapes!