University of Pretoria welcoming 10 000 first-year students, their families and guardians at its 2020 Welcome Day event. File picture: Thobile Mathonsi/African News Agency(ANA)
Cape Town - Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande says universities have accepted 196 324 first-year students to be enrolled this year.
He told MPs that the department’s trimmed budget didn’t have an impact on the intake of new students for 2023.
To name only those in the province, he said the Cape Peninsula University of Technology had 8 721 students enrolled for this year; UCT, 4 039; Unisa, 45 000 (nationally); Stellenbosch University, 5 415; and the University of the Western Cape, 4 600.
Late last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation for the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) to probe the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), zeroing in on operations from 2016 to last year.
“The first part will look into the management of NSFAS finances. The second part will investigate the allocation of loans, bursaries and any other funding payable to students in terms of the provisions of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme Act, 1999, Act No. 56 of 1999,” the SIU is quoted as saying in reports.
The probe will no doubt raise concerns for those in the deserving intake, who have applied for the scheme.
However, Nzimande told MPs that financial support won’t be a barrier for deserving students if they had applied for NSFAS.
Nzimande said: “The budget cuts did not have an impact on the intake of new students for the 2023 academic as the new student intake targets were determined through the mid-term review of the enrolment planning cycle process where each institution reviewed its enrolment plan based on their available resources, such as infrastructure, human resources, finances, and sustainability.
“They were also required to consider the occupations in high demand, scarce skills identified and National Development Plan, amongst others.”
The Cape Argus pushed NSFAS on how many soon-to-be students applied for funding and how many will be funded, in light of budget cuts and serious allegations of corruption that plague the scheme.
NSFAS spokesperson Kagisho Mamabolo referred queries to the scheme’s chief executive Andile Nongogo and copywriter Maduvha Maseda.
They didn’t respond to WhatsApp reminders after an email was sent through the official communications channel.
EFF MP Mothusi Mentwedi asked Nzimande whether plans had been put in place to ensure that students who wanted to study were admitted in the next academic year, and on what date all closed colleges of higher learning would open in order to ease the burden on universities.
In response, Nzimande said: “The premises of the old colleges of education are being utilised as university and TVET college campuses; schools; teacher development centres; government department offices and/or centres, including sites for provincial and district education offices, etc.
“There are no plans to reopen these colleges of education currently.”
soyiso.maliti@inl.co.za