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The National Plan for Student Financial Aid (NSFAS) will continue to fund students while the 2020 academic year is ongoing, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said Thursday.
“Funding for all students will continue as long as the academic year is ongoing, even during closing.”
Nzimande teamed up with Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to describe how the level 4 blockade, which is scheduled for Friday, will affect the sector.
This after President Cyril Ramaphosa previously announced a risk-adjusted strategy through five tiers of blockade in an attempt to reopen the economy and manage the spread of Covid-19.
Nzimande said that due to the likely extension of the academic year due to the global pandemic, the NSFAS would require more funding.
“The likely extension of the academic year will require additional funds to maintain student assignments as they complete the academic year.
READ | Students will not return to campus during the closure of level 4
“As a department, therefore, we are working with the NSFAS to model these costs,” he added.
Nzimande urged students, who have not yet used their assignments, to redirect those funds to devices to support learning.
Tolerance
“Given the fact that all of our universities have already disbursed learning material assignments for their NSFAS supported students, I would like to urge our students who have not yet used their assignments to use them to purchase suitable electronic learning devices to support your learning this time. “
He said the 2020 academic year would be reorganized to allow institutions and students to complete their academic requirements, adding that it will likely run until early 2021 depending on the impact of Covid-19.
“The end of the 2020 academic year and the start of the 2021 academic year will be aligned with the plans of the Department of Basic Education in terms of the cycle of completion of the National Superior Certificate (NSC) exams and the publication of the NSC results.”
Due to uncertainty and the global pandemic, Nzimande was unable to confirm the students’ physical return to various learning institutions across the country.
“As a result of the high uncertainty and fluid social context imposed by the viral threat on all aspects of South African society, it is not possible to determine with certainty the dates on which a physical return to campus for most of our students will be possible.
“Until we get to that point, every effort is now being made to implement multiple and flexible teaching and learning methods to support all of our institutions and all of our students,” he said.
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