The administrative buildings of the Northern Cape Urban College in Kimberley were destroyed last night through an act of arson. While such actions cannot be condoned, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is partly to blame.
Frustrated students have been protesting for weeks over delayed payments by NSFAS. The Scheme, which funds the studies of over a million students, has been playing a pivotal role in post-school education since the “Fees Must Fall” campaign.
In response to the campaign, former President Jacob Zuma promised free higher education at the end of 2017. NSFAS, a relatively small bursary scheme at the time, was forced to transform into a massive grant system almost overnight.
Since then, tuition fees, accommodation and allowances had to be paid out to an ever-growing number of students. From the outset, NSFAS’s system was not equipped for this task.
The most pressing issue of the crisis is paying students their allowances on time each month, as these payments have become part of the country’s social safety net.
Major commercial banks are equipped to perform this function, but NSFAS keeps using emerging fintech companies in the name of transformation.
The destruction of the office complex in Kimberley is yet another example of the ANC’s transformation policy achieving the exact opposite of its intended goal.
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