Port Elizabeth - The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is concerned following media reports about non-payment of allowances for students at the University of South Africa (Unisa).
"NSFAS would like to put it on record that students from this institution should have by now received their allowances as a total of R247 078 688.97 was advanced to the institution on 6 February," the student fund said in a statement on Wednesday.
NSFAS said that Unisa and 25 other universities had agreed to administer payments of allowances directly to their students and that these institutions received more than R3 billion after they complied with the preconditions of a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
"The first tranche of payments was meant to ensure that First-Time Entering Students (FTENs) and senior students who are Nsfas approved receive their allowances as they commence with academic activities.
It said that universities were expected to transfer funds to ensure the students could pay for food and accommodation, books and learning materials, transport, as well as other living expenses. Nsfas was also expected to give funding for paying the first instalment of the tuition fee.