It’s been a rough start to the academic year, with protests over student housing, NSFAS applications, and allowances. The South Africa Union of Students has made some progress lately.
Student Union Makes Progress With NSFAS Allowances
Since the start of the academic year, students at several public universities have been having trouble with student housing and NSFAS funding. However, the South African Student Union (SAUS) says some progress has been made despite some issues still unresolved.
National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) changed their eligibility criteria in January. Students needed to pass 55% of their courses to keep getting funding.
As a result, thousands of students lost their financial aid. All students who were wrongfully terminated and excluded will receive funding after SAUS made a proposal to NSFAS.
At the next payment, NSFAS students will also get a 10% increase in their food allowance.
Following the recent R45 000 blanket cap on student accommodation, there have been several protests over the past few weeks. Because of this price cap, thousands of students were unable to find affordable housing. According to SAUS, NSFAS is working with various stakeholders and unions to deal with this crisis.
In response to the accommodation cap, SAUS is asking all student representative councils to provide a list of students affected. NSFAS will then get this list so no student is left homeless. SAUS, NSFAS, and various stakeholders will keep meeting until the remaining issues are resolved.
