The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) says it has initiated a remedial process where students, who are found to believe been funded based on incorrect information, are immediately defunded.
NSFAS said this is done to avoid wrongful and illegal allocation of funds to students, who topple outside the prescription of the entity’s policies.
“The prescriptions of our policies and the law will be implemented firmly and vigorously to avoid a repeat of the more than R5 billion that was allocated incorrectly to students since 2016,” NSFAS said.
The NSFAS decision is in response to the Auditor-General’s findings and a Special Investigation Unit (SIU) investigation, which revealed that more than R5 billion was paid to the students who did not qualify for bursaries.
The SIU draft presentation was presented to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA).
The lead investigator told the committee that 76 institutions, including 40 044 students, did not qualify for bursaries from 2018 to 2021.
However, the scheme has acknowledged that it has received complaints from some students, who were defunded incorrectly, and said “if such cases are right, this is regrettable”.
“A process of verifying these complaints will be immediately initiated and if proven otherwise, remedial action will be taken,” NSFAS said.
During a meeting held with the South African Students Congress (SASCO) leadership this past Sunday, and an engagement with the South African Union of Students (SAUS), NSFAS assured students that its board and management remains committed to a student-centred model, in which the main focus is the formation of an environment for students to engage in academic activities without the inconvenience of lack.
“Where we encounter obstacles related to our systems and capacity, all appropriate efforts will be made to achieve improvements.
“Where needed, engagements will continue to be made with the relevant stakeholders and this will be done with the objective of receiving valuable inputs in improving our service to students and in full observance of our policies and the law,” NSFAS said.
In carrying out these objectives, NSFAS said it will not be influenced by squabbles amongst service providers, or parties that seek to “grandstand” for reasons other than the interests of the students.
“NSFAS will proceed with implementing recent policy decisions in a manner that is firm, legal and within the dictates of her policies,” NSFAS said.
Investigation over excessive charges
Meanwhile, NSFAS said an investigation will be conducted following students’ complaints about excessive charges.
Student leadership has also complained about inaccessibility of service providers, lack of clarity on how to access funds, and allegations of funds not reaching their intended beneficiaries.
“Where the allegations are proven proper, appropriate action will be taken,” the scheme said.
NSFAS said the service providers will be instructed to increase their physical presence at institutions of higher learning so that they can respond directly to student queries on direct payments.
“There should be an immediate enhancement of explanations on how students can access their funds to avoid delays in the distribution of allowances, and there will be a three-way meeting between student leaders, NSFAS management and the service providers on 11 July to iron out all relevant matters,” NSFAS said. – SAnews.gov.za
Crash Test
Van, startled, spins around and answers the rep, \”It\’s my donkey\’s ears. When they walk under the highway their ears rub along the roof and hurt them. I\’m making it taller so that doesn\’t happen\”.
The rep looking confused, because it\’s a dirt track that runs under the bridge, asks him, \”Why don\’t you grade or dig some of the soil to lower the surface so they can pass through without their ears touching?\”
Van – no the one looking confused then angry answers, \”No man, it\’s their ears that are too long, not their legs!\”
Vortex
Van is getting married, but he and his fiancee have never done the deed – in fact he\’s never been with any woman before. He\’s getting more and more nervous as the big day approaches, so he confides in his friend. His friend says \’No worries man. I\’ll come by the honeymoon suite before you guys get there, and I\’ll hide behind the curtain, and I\’ll whisper instructions to you.\’
\’You\’d do that for me?\’
\’Sure thing man!\’
So the wedding day arrives, it was a lovely service (so I was told, I wasn\’t there myself) and Van\’s friend sneaks into the honeymoon suite as promised and hides behind the curtain.
Van and his new wife arrive in the room, get settled on the bed, and things are getting steamy.
But Van is still super nervous and his tummy is bubbling, so he murmers to his wife, \’Listen babe, I\’m just gonna go to the bathroom quick. I think it\’s that wors roll from earlier.\’
\’Sure thing babe.\’
So Van goes into the bathroom, and he\’s taking quite a long time. And his wife is starting to feel the nerves herself. And it\’s getting worse. She can\’t hold it in. But she doesn\’t want to go after he\’s gone and totally ruin the mood. So she looks around and finally finds a shoebox. Quickly, she does her business in the shoebox, and she shoves it under the bed just as Van comes back from the loo.
Van gets back on the bed and they go at it again. But after a minute or so Van smells something not so lekker.
\’What\’s that smell?\’
\’Nothing babe,\’ he wife tries to assure him.
\’No man there\’s definitely something not so lekker in this room!\’VSo Van starts looking around the room, in the corners, in the cupboard, and finally he looks under the bed, and sees the shoebox.
He pull it out, and opens it up, and in horror he shouts \’Sies! Daar\’s kak in hierdie doos!\’
And from behind the curtain his friend yells, \’NEE MAN, DRAAI HAAR OM!\”