The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and the development of the higher education system in South Africa: a description of the demographics and performance of NSFAS beneficiaries

The National Development Plan (NDP 2030), released in 2012, seeks to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030 and recognises that one of the key priorities of achieving these goals is to improve the quality of education, skills development and innovation in South Africa. The higher education sector is an important component in achieving the objectives of NDP 2030, as it is crucial for the production of skilled workers who earn higher incomes, are more productive, and bring about a shift to a more knowledge-intensive economy. A set of eight key goals, based on the Centre for Higher...  [+] Show more

The National Development Plan (NDP 2030), released in 2012, seeks to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030 and recognises that one of the key priorities of achieving these goals is to improve the quality of education, skills development and innovation in South Africa. The higher education sector is an important component in achieving the objectives of NDP 2030, as it is crucial for the production of skilled workers who earn higher incomes, are more productive, and bring about a shift to a more knowledge-intensive economy. A set of eight key goals, based on the Centre for Higher Education Transformation's (CHET) reports, are highlighted in order to evaluate the performance of the higher education sector. This paper sheds some light on how the NSFAS has contributed to the achievement of the first three of these goals over the years 2000 to 2012 and, within the broader context of the Labour Market Intelligence Partnership (LMIP), provides some evidence for how well the programme is working to affect skills acquisition. It provides an overview of the demographics and performance of NSFAS recipients at public universities over the period.

Edited excerpts from publication.