Green Light for First Year Students Registration

By: Zilungile Mkhize

Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande, says deserving first year students can continue their registration to institutions of higher learning, as government has sourced additional funding for NSFAS.

Nzimande has been addressing media following Cabinet’s meeting on tertiary education funding for the 2021 academic year.

The announcement follows mass protests at Wits University in Johannesburg, calling for the inclusion of students with historical debt to be allowed to register.

Nzimande says there was a shortfall for funding NSFAS, which prevented the student fund from communicating decisions to applicants.

The minister says they have talked to all Vice-Chancellors regarding student funding for 2021, adding that the additional funding will help thousands of first year students.

“What should be clear from the above is that Government is firmly committed to implement the policy of providing fee free (fully subsidised) higher education support to students from working and poor backgrounds, whilst also putting a sustainable mechanism in place to support students from the so-called ‘missing middle’ income bracket,” says Nzimande.

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Nzimande has also appealed to institutions and to NSFAS to ensure that this process is completed as smoothly as possible.