By Odwa Bafana Mkentane
The South African Union of Students (SAUS) is raising concerns over what it calls continued instability at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The student body says extending Waseem Carrim’s tenure as Acting CEO is not a sustainable solution and is calling for permanent and accountable leadership at NSFAS.
SAUS spokesperson Thato Maseko says NSFAS cannot be permanently managed through temporary solutions, more especially from ministers.
“For years, students have endured delayed allowances, accommodation challenges, administrative failures, appeals backlogs, poor communication, unresolved institutional reconciliations, defunding of students and uncertainty over funding new intake students. These challenges require decisive leadership with authority, accountability and security of tenure necessary to implement long-term reforms. Acting appointments may be necessary as short-term emergency interventions, but they cannot become the permanent governance model of NSFAS,” said Maseko.
Maseko added that if the Minister of Higher Education and the NSFAS Board are serious about restoring stability, then stability must mean more than keeping the institution operational from one crisis to another.
“SAUS therefore calls upon the reinstated NSFAS Board to urgently commence and conclude the appointment of a permanent Chief Executive Officer. The Board must further take students, institutions and the broader public into confidence by announcing clear and binding timeframes for the recruitment, selection and appointment of the permanent CEO if this process has not been done and fill in all the other vacant executive positions. We cannot accept an indefinite acting arrangement without knowing when permanent leadership will be appointed,” he said.
Photo: SAUS
