Blade Nzimande doubles down on government's decision to increase NSFAS pass eligibility
- Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has defended the new pass requirement for NSFAS funding
- From 2023 students will have to achieve a 75% pass mark for their modules in order to receive funding
- Student bodies and some opposition parties have voiced their outrage at the proposal and say that it will exclude students from university
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CAPE TOWN - Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has stuck to his guns and held the line on the government's decision to increase the NSFAS pass eligibility to 75%.
By 2023 students will have to achieve a 75% pass on their modules to qualify for funding from the government.
Source: UGC
Student bodies did not welcome the news and some opposition parties have said that the decision would exclude students from a university education.
Nzimande defended the decision by saying that with the new eligibility criteria in place, students would complete their modules in a far shorter time according to IOL.
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Blade Nzimande busts pass mark increase myths, says NFSAS rumours are false
Earlier, Briefly News reported that Blade Nzimande, the Minister of Higher Education, has addressed rumours that tertiary students will need to achieve 75% in their modules to retain their NSFAS funding.
Nzimande says that the 2022 NSFAS requirements are still being deliberated and will be communicated to the public at a later stage.
Times Live reports that the currently NSFAS recipients need to attain 50% for their modules to keep their funding.
Student bodies say NSFAS 75% pass of modules required for further funding is anti-poor
Briefly News previously reported on various student organisations are taking a stand against the new guidelines set in place by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Student Representative Council(SRC) at the University of Witwatersrand has joined the SA Union of Students (SAUS) in rejecting the NSFAS proposal that will require students to pass 75% of their modules if they want to be funded by the organisation for their next year of study.
In previous years, students were required to only pass 50% of their modules for them to continue being funded. In addition to the 75% pass requirement, NSFAS plans to cap accommodation allowances for students, a concern that has been raised by students.
Source: Briefly News
