Students' union urges incoming administration not to change NSFAS structure

JOHANNESBURG - The South African Union of Students (SAUS) has urged the incoming government to not roll back the gains of past administrations.

With the African National Congress (ANC) losing its national majority for the first time in democratic South Africa, the seventh administration will have to be a coalition.

The union has urged the ANC not to make concessions on students' gains.

Since the 2015 fees must fall movement, students have had a number of wins.

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) was changed from a loan to a bursary, the income threshold for the scheme was raised and universities also dropped their entrance fees.

SAUS spokesperson  Asive Dlanjwa said there should be no concessions on these issues.

“There are political parties that pose a threat to those gains, one of them for instance being the DA - which has been clear in terms of their policy that they want to cut the budget of NSFAS significantly to the extent NSFAS must be turned back into a loan.”

In the DA’s manifesto, the party says for NSFAS to be sustainable, students have to pay back a portion of their cost of study depending on their family income.