The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] calls on the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela to stabilise the National Students Financial Aid Scheme [NSFAS] following the resignations of board members of the scheme.

As NEHAWU, we want to upfront express our discontent about the systematic and structural challenges of NFSAS. The scheme continues to lurch from one crisis to another, which in essence has compromised the scheme and post schooling and training sector and has contributed to the bearers besetting the sector which including the following amongst others; financial and academic exclusion of students, lack of student funding, student accommodation and maladministration and corruption.

Indeed, the resignation of people with good standing in society particularly those who just resigned demonstrates the systemic and structural challenges confronting the scheme. Hence, we call on the Minister to expedite the process of ensuring that there is stability and proper governance at NSFAS to ensure the mandate of the scheme is adhered without fail.

The stabilisation of NSFAS requires urgent attention especially against the background of the systemic and governance crisis that confronts the scheme and broadly the post-school education and training sector [PSET]. The department must urgently play its oversight role on NSFAS as a national public entity.

The scheme remains a critical component in the task of transforming the higher education sector. Equally, NSFAS remains a critical instrument in the realisation of providing access to free quality education for poor and working class students.

As a union organising in the higher education sector, we remain more than ready to contribute to the stabilisation of the scheme. Therefore, we would like to see NSFAS functioning properly, stable and being a capable institution that can be used as a vehicle for access to higher education.

As NEHAWU, we will continue working with our progressive allies in the higher education terrain to fight and struggle for the transformation of NSFAS into an instrument that will serve and cater for the needs of poor and working class students.

Lastly, the union will find time to interact with the board members who have resigned to ascertain the degree of their experience regarding these challenges to learn from their experience for future efforts to stabilise this important national asset established to take care of the plight of the working class as it relate to ensure access to higher education system and to ensure that they occupy a strategic position in the political economy.

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Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat.

Zola Saphetha (General Secretary) at 082 558 5968; December Mavuso (Deputy General Secretary) at 082 558 5969; Lwazi Nkolonzi (NEHAWU National Spokesperson) at 081 558 2335 or email: lwazin@nehawu.org.za