More than one million tertiary students are funded by NSFAS for the current academic academic year. Many of the scheme’s beneficiaries will be pleased to know that allowance payments have now been processed.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme has recently confirmed that student allowances have been paid for the month of August 2023. The bursary scheme made the announcement on Monday this week.
This comes after news surfaced that some qualifying students were yet to receive their allowance for June 2023. According to NSFAS the allowance payment delay was because some universities had not released student registration data.
At the time, the bursary scheme also disputed claims that more than 8,000 out of 9,950 students from Wits University had not received allowances for the month of July. The scheme further stated that 7,600 students from the university received their allowances in June.
Challenges Encountered By NSFAS Payment System
The scheme’s direct payment system has also been called into question following reports that some students were not receiving their allowances, while others said the transaction charges on their NSFAS bank accounts were too excessive.
In response, NSFAS instructed service providers to increase their presence at universities and colleges to engage directly with students and provide immediate assistance and address student queries regarding direct allowance payments.
Prior to this, NSFAS allowances were paid to institutions attended by NSFAS-funded students. The institutions would then disburse the NSFAS allowances to students or use service providers to disburse allowances to students.
NSFAS Warns Against Fraudulent Applications
The scheme has also issued a stern warning to students who have made fraudulent applications and implemented preventative measures as a response.
The new verification system includes cross-referencing the data provided on applications with external parties including the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), SARS and the Department of Home Affairs. This is done to confirm that the personal information provided by the applicant is true.
