Day: January 7, 2022

Students who did not apply for funding for the 2022 academic year by today’s deadline will breath a sigh of relief as they will have another opportunity to apply for financial aid.

This after the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board extended the deadline for applications for the student financial aid to Friday, 21 January 2022.

“Potential applicants are urged to make use of the opportunity as there will be no further extension on the application deadline,” the scheme said in a statement on Thursday.

The government financial scheme said since the application process opened on 2 November 2021 they have received more than 600 000 applications from applicants who intend to further their post school education at any of the 50 TVET colleges and 26 public universities. At least 505 820 are first-time applicants.

“NSFAS Chairperson, Ernest Khosa, briefed the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, on the assessment done on the number of applications received to date.

“In this application cycle NSFAS enhanced its application portal such that first-time applicants who are SASSA beneficiaries will receive a real-time response after submitting their application. To date 182 567 applicants were confirmed eligible for funding instantly. The second cohort is non-SASSA applicants who receive their responses once their income verification has been concluded,” the statement read.

To qualify for NSFAS funding you must be:

• A South African Citizen;

• SASSA grant recipients (the SASSA COVID-19 grant does not count);

• Persons whose combined household income is not more than R350 000 per year;

• Persons living with disabilities with a combined household income not more than R600 000 per annum.

• A permanent resident, an individual who is in possession of a valid Permanent Residency Permit issue by the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa.

Supporting documents required:

• All applicants must provide a copy of their ID document. Smart ID cards: a copy with both sides of the smart ID must be provided;

• A temporary ID issued by the Department of Home Affairs

• Non-SASSA applicants must provide ID copies of parent/s, legal guardian/guardian or spouse;

• Proof of income: applicant and/or parents/legal guardian/spouse (where applicable (non-SASSA) should provide a latest payslip not older than three months, UIF letter, appointment letter, retrenchment letter (applicant and/or parent(s), legal guardian/spouse).

How can students apply?

• NSFAS applications are submitted online through the myNSFAS portal (www.nsfas.org.za(link is external)), where students can submit their applications using their smartphones or computer.

• To apply, create a myNSFAS account online, then proceed to the application tab and fill in personal details.

• Applicants must ensure that they receive a reference number when they have submitted their application, as proof that their applications have been successfully submitted.

• If you do not have a digital device or access to the internet, you can visit your nearest National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) or Thusong Centre to apply following the same steps.

The scheme has urged prospective students to apply for admission at a public university or TVET College of their choice, for an approved course/programme.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The matric class of 2021 was disrupted in their schooling over the last two years, and the impact of the loss of more than 50% of their Grade 11 year presented serious consequences for the class.

Speaking at the Umalusi standardisation meeting held on Thursday in Pretoria, the Department of Basic Education Director-General, Mathanzima Mweli, said the important foundation that Grade 11 work builds in preparation for Grade 12 was weakened.

“We will therefore see the deleterious effect of lost teaching time, in particular on those subjects that are time intensive such as the languages, and subjects that are heavily dependent on language for utility, such as Mathematical Literacy,” he said.

The Director-General said the standardisation of the 2021 NSC examinations is a special meeting that deserves distinctive attention for a number of reasons.

“These learners not only had to deal with a reduced exposure to face-to-face teaching and learning but they also had to contend with the anxieties and trauma of COVID-19. Countless families have been pushed to the limits of financial endurance from lost jobs and income.

“Not only this but also many families have lost family members and friends due to the pandemic,” Mweli said.

He said when looking at the principles of the science of how pupils learn, the cohort of 2021 was heavily impacted during their Grade 11 year due to reduced teaching time.

Mweli emphasised that learning is strengthened through the retrieval practice, which must be done multiple times and over time, including revisiting subject content across multiple sessions with good, specific and focused feedback from teachers and others, such as peers.

“The class of 2021 was deprived of this advantage. The unique learning context necessitated a robust, targeted and differentiated learner support programme for this cohort. The sector increased not only the learner beneficiaries and scope of the interventions but also the number and type of interventions offered to this class,” he said.

Mweli said the class of 2021 is also the first class to be presented with amendments to Section 4 of the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS), which impacted on 20 of the 67 subjects of this class.

“A further unanticipated hurdle that confronted this class was the load shedding that would have adversely affected their final preparations for the examinations.

“A total of 733 746 full-time candidates registered to write the 2021 NSC examination — the largest full time cohort over the last few years. A total of 123 487 more full-time candidates and 46 942 more part-time candidates registered to write the examination,” he said.

The Director-General said of the 733 746 candidates that registered for the examination, 700 604 candidates wrote the examination, which reflects the lowest percentage of “no shows” (4.5%) over the last few years.

“The increase in the number of full-time candidates can be attributed to a number of factors and one of the key factors is the change in the assessment regime, in Grade 10 and 11, which was prompted by the need to create maximum time for teaching and learning,” he said.

He added that the school based assessment in Grade 11 was increased from 25% to 60% and examinations were replaced by controlled tests.

“Hence, the change in assessment practices resulted in a different outcome. These learners would therefore have written their first fully-fledged examination in their Grade 12 year, which was part of the preparatory examination,” Mweli said.

Mweli said one of the purposes of standardisation is to ensure fairness from year to year and the disadvantages suffered by the class of 2021 cannot be ignored, as part of “our social justice obligations”.

Meanwhile, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is expected to announce the outcome of the results of the 2021 NSC examinations on 20 January 2022.

Source: South African Government News Agency