Progress is being made to resolve outstanding Services SETA bursary payments and benefits for 162 students at Ekurhuleni East TVET College. Image: Education Department.
Yusuf Cassim
1Min
South Africa
162 Ekurhuleni East TVET students set to receive outstanding SETA bursary benefits
Deputy Higher Education Minister Yusuf Cassim says progress has been made in resolving outstanding tuition fees and allowances, while laptops for funded students are expected by mid-October.
Progress is being made to resolve outstanding Services SETA bursary payments and benefits for 162 students at Ekurhuleni East TVET College.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Yusuf Cassim received an update during an oversight visit to the college’s Kwa-Thema Campus on Friday, 2 October.
The visit followed engagements between Cassim and Services SETA over delays affecting the administration of bursaries, including tuition payments, allowances, textbooks and laptops.
Services SETA allocated bursaries worth R15.6 million for 200 students at Ekurhuleni East TVET College. A total of 195 students applied, with the college identifying 162 as qualifying beneficiaries.
Of the 162 students, 145 were found to be fully compliant, and their tuition fees were processed in September. The remaining 17 students are still being processed, with the college committing to complete the process within seven days.
The college also reported that R1.98 million in outstanding allowances was paid to 132 students during September following Cassim’s intervention.
A further 30 students remain unprocessed because of banking or documentation issues. The college’s finance team is working with the affected students and the Student Representative Council to resolve the outstanding cases by Friday, 9 October.
All Services SETA-funded students have received their textbooks, while laptops remain outstanding.
The college has expedited the procurement process and committed to delivering the laptops by mid-October.
Cassim said the delays in bursary payments were a concern and called for better administration to ensure students receive the full benefits for which they qualify.
“Students should not have to wait this far into the academic year to receive the full bursary benefits for which they qualify,” Cassim said.
He said administrative challenges should not result in SETAs and other funding entities withdrawing support for students.
The Deputy Minister has also been monitoring outstanding bursary payments at other TVET colleges. During a visit to Lovedale TVET College in August, his intervention resulted in FASSET paying 20 student bursaries, while Services SETA continues working to resolve challenges at the institution.
Delays in issuing certificates
The oversight visit also addressed delays in the issuing of National N-Diploma and NCV Level 4 certificates.
Cassim, through the office of the Deputy Director-General for TVET Colleges, Sam Zungu, will request a report from the Department’s National Examination and Assessment Directorate on the delays affecting outstanding certificates.
The report will include a turnaround plan aimed at expediting the processing and resolution of outstanding cases.
Cassim welcomed the continued investment by Services SETA in skills development and education, while calling for improved administration across the Post-School Education and Training sector.
Available next action: Create a downloadable PDF file here in this chat containing the finalized decisions and immediate actions above
