Varsities still need donor support

THERE is a growing concern across the university sector that companies and individual donors who traditionally offered students and universities funding for bursaries are no longer doing so.

It is believed that this change has come into being on the basis of the roll-out of what is commonly spoken about as free higher education. This is deeply worrying and may potentially wound the futures of many students who have found their way into one of our 26 public universities and who do not qualify for the new student funding system.

We should all be clear that the changes that have occurred in student funding have by no means resulted in a free higher education system. It continues to be a fee-based system. What is new is the introduction of the new Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) bursaries which are aimed specifically at those students who are admitted to our universities and whose gross family income is below R350 000 per annum. For these students there is no doubt that these full cost-of-study bursaries are a wonderful opportunity.

Universities SA (USAf) and the department meet regularly with the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to try to ensure that the roll-out of the new DHET bursary system is completed successfully this year. And we hope that as we head into 2019 a new, highly efficient student financial aid ecosystem will be in place.

It has to be understood, however, that for more than 90% of the students in the university system, this new DHET bursary does not apply. For these, there continues to be an important need for corporate and private sponsorship of bursaries and scholarships.

Who are the students who fall outside the remit of the new bursaries?

a. Any new first-time entry student whose family has a gross income of 1c more than R350 000.

b. In 2018, the only returning students that qualify for the old NSFAS financial aid packages are those whose gross family income is less than R122 000.

c. Those returning students with gross family incomes of more than R122 000 do not qualify for any NSFAS financial aid package.

d. It does not address the funding needs of any postgraduate student.

It should be clear that there is still an extraordinarily important role for the private sector to play in supporting students with bursaries and scholarships.

This communication is therefore an appeal to the corporate sector and private donors to continue to support students through bursaries and scholarships. It would be disastrous to find that thousands of students lose support at a time when this very generous new DHET bursary system is rolled out for others.

Universities SA is a representative association and the voice of all 26 public universities of South Africa.

Green is manager of Corporate Communications at Universities SA.