The National Student Financial Aid Scheme has confirmed the disbursement of April 2026 allowances to over 200 000 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students.

In a statement this week, NSFAS said a total of 203 653 qualifying TVET students received their allowances on April 17, with payments amounting to R621 million.

“This disbursement was executed in line with planned timelines and forms part of NSFAS’s ongoing commitment to efficient and reliable funding support that enables uninterrupted teaching and learning across institutions,” the scheme said.

The payment comes amid continued efforts to ensure that students dependent on financial aid are not disrupted in their academic programmes due to funding delays.

However, NSFAS revealed that approximately 12 000 student records were excluded from this payment cycle due to verification issues.

“As part of standard verification processes, approximately 12 000 student records were identified as non-qualifying for inclusion in this specific payment run,” NSFAS noted, adding that the exclusions were due to “data inconsistencies identified during the usual data exchanges between NSFAS and Colleges.”

To address the issue, NSFAS has moved to work closely with institutions to resolve discrepancies and ensure that qualifying students are not left behind in future disbursements.

“NSFAS has shared the affected student records with the respective Colleges,” the scheme said. “Institutions are requested to review and correct the identified discrepancies.”

It added that a dedicated intervention team has been deployed to speed up the process: “NSFAS has dedicated a team led by senior managers, to support Colleges with this process.”

Colleges have been urged to act swiftly to correct data errors and align submissions with funding requirements to avoid further delays.

“Colleges are encouraged to prioritise the review of submitted data to ensure alignment with NSFAS funding conditions and to facilitate the inclusion of eligible students in subsequent payment processes.” 

Despite the setbacks affecting a portion of students, NSFAS reiterated its broader commitment to improving payment efficiency and data accuracy across the TVET sector.

“NSFAS remains committed to working collaboratively with all TVET Colleges to ensure the accuracy of student data and the timely disbursement of allowances,” it said.

*This article was first published by IOL News