NSFAS outlines challenges and future plans

THE National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) yesterday discussed the complexities of managing student accommodation issues and how they are being addressed.

- THOBEKA NGEMA

Acting chief executive officer, Waseem Carrim, said there are three levels of accommodation: on-campus institution-owned and managed accommodation, private accredited student accommodation and private unaccredited accommodation.

Carrim said that for the 2025 academic year, NSFAS had accredited about 326000 beds, received about 152 000 applications and about 126000 students have been onboarded in that process. They paid 3800 extra accommodation providers representing over 100000 students. To date, the disbursements are about R1.3 billion.

“NSFAS undertook the student accommodation pilot project without a necessary feasibility study, without an appropriate risk assessment, capacity building policy guideline or legal framework,” Carrim said.