THE Department of Higher Education and Training says while the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is reconfiguring its funding processing for 2019, planning for the year hasn’t stopped.
Department spokesperson Lunga Ngqengelele clarified misleading media reports that funding applications had been halted following a request by Minister Naledi Pandor.
Ngqengelele said Pandor had, on 15 July, written to the NSFAS board requesting that the processing of applications for funding for next year be placed on hold until the 2017 and 2018 backlogs had been cleared. However, Ngqengelele said, planning for next year would continue.
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This was due to the fact that a number of students had not received funding for the past two years.
Pandor, he said, had made the request to ensure that the 2017 and 2018 backlogs were resolved.
“This is done so that come 2019, the processes are clean and clear in terms of dispersing funds to students and we won’t have a situation in 2019 or mid-2019 where some students are yet to receive their funds. That’s what necessitated the minister’s request.”
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