Nzimande: NSFAS must settle outstanding payments
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has called on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to pay outstanding allowances from 2023 to students.
Nzimande briefed the media on Tuesday on the state of readiness for the 2024 academic year.
Some 11,000 allowances remain unpaid despite the scheme committing itself to pay by January 15.
The scheme says the delay has been caused by universities which failed to submit registration data on time.
"I call upon NSFAS working together with the affected institutions to ensure that they speedily resolve all these outstanding cases. I also urge institutions not to deny NSFAS funded students with outstanding payments to register for the current cycle," Nzimande said.
"Submission of accurate registration information is important to circumvent delays in the payment processes.
"I have noted with concern that the main reason for the outstanding payments was due to reconciliations that NSFAS has been engaged with institutions predominantly because of registration data changes.
"Having noted the importance of registration data to the payment process, for the 2024 academic year, institutions must submit registration data as soon as they are allowed to, and for the first cycle funding all registration claims to be submitted by no later than the 31 March 2024."
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