Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane has ruled out the possibility of establishing an advisory council to oversee the affairs of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
Instead, Nkabane has set her eyes firmly on speeding up the appointment of the board for NSFAS, which will now be constituted by people holding a masters degree.
“The department is not likely to consider the establishment of an advisory council to fulfill the roles in question as such an arrangement is not provided for by the NSFAS Act and may potentially duplicate roles currently assigned to the NSFAS board.
“In any case, the department relies primarily on the board to regularly review operations and ensure alignment of the NSFAS with its mandate to serve students,” Nkabane said.
She was responding in writing to parliamentary questions from DA MP Letta Mathlodi Maseko when she asked whether she will consider establishing a permanent oversight to regularly review operations of NSFAS and ensure alignment with its mandate to support students.
Nkabane said the NSFAS board advised her on matters relating to student financial aid, and that she assigned functions related to the review of the institution’s operations.
The board was empowered to appoint professionals to “manage and administer the affairs of NSFAS under the authority of the board.
“The board may establish committees to advise the board on operational matters.”
Nkabane said she planned to appoint the NSFAS board between December 2024 and January 2025 after due diligence has been completed.
“The minister has advertised the call for nominations for members of the board, in a government gazette dated 13 August 2024, followed by (an) advert dated 1 September 2024.”
She also said the invitations were extended to persons preferably with a minimal qualification of a master’s degree and a proven track record and experience in finance, law, ethics, economics, science, public administration, governance, engineering or higher education.
An individual with requisite qualifications, knowledge and experience would be considered for appointment as a member of the NSFAS board.
“Candidates with the requisite experience and qualifications will be shortlisted as per the categories outlined in section 5 of the NSFAS Act,” she said, adding that shortlisting by a panel of technical experts will be followed by due diligence, including verification of qualifications and experience.
“Board members will be inducted and provided with requisite induction material and administrative support to perform their oversight role.
“Their performance will be measured through quarterly reports, annual reports and financial statements, as well as other parameters determined by the minister.”
Nkabane said NSFAS administrator Freeman Nomvalo was expected to submit his handover report to the new board to support a seamless transition process.
Maseko also enquired how the department planned to engage with students, educational institutions and other stakeholders to gather input and feedback on the NFSAS performance and effectiveness of the board once appointed.
Nkabane said her department obtained feedback on NSFAS on multiple channels, including gazetting a student governance framework.
Cape Times