Cassim seeks NSFAS progress report on delayed student funding

Deputy Minister Yusuf Cassim is seeking a written progress report from NSFAS on unresolved student funding cases after meeting its managers on 6 November.

The Higher Education and Training department’s 9 November statement describes concerns escalated through his helpdesk.

It says NSFAS transferred Personal Care Allowance funds to Unisa on 30 October, but the university was still reconciling payments and awaiting internal approvals for outstanding November allowances.

NSFAS undertook to engage Unisa on 9 November; the statement gives no outcome.

The requested report would identify resolved and outstanding cases, reasons for delays, missing information and anticipated resolution dates. Regular technical reviews were agreed in principle.

Cassim also advocated increasing the R316 Personal Care Allowance. The statement does not announce an approved increase.

Students with unresolved issues can contact [email protected]. The helpdesk escalates and follows up cases; it does not control NSFAS operations.

Illustrative archive photograph of books on a table, taken on 29 May 2013; not a particular student, institution or funded study materials. Photo: Trey Jones / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blank_books_stacked_on_a_table.jpg . Rights: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ . The photographer removed identifying cover text; cropped and resized for display.