Current Status and Way Forward - 2020 Conference 31...Outstanding Documents 6,822 22,318 29,140 x Assessing Financial Eligibility - Applications 37 550 587 Applications in Processing

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Current Status and Way ForwardPresenters:

Christo Christowitz

Oarabile Selekisho

9 March 2020

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Agenda

1. Welcome

2. Thank you

3. Abbreviations

4. ICT Intervention

5. Statistics

6. 2020 Cycle so far

7. What’s new at NSFAS

8. Historic Debt and Close-out

9. Contact Details

10.Questions?

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Abbreviations

A, S1 & T1 Annual, Semester 1, Trimester 1DHET Department of Higher Education and TrainingFTENs First Time Entering StudentsLAFSOP Loan Agreement Form/ Schedule of ParticularsNated National Accredited Technical Education DiplomaNBA NSFAS Bursary AgreementNCV National Certificate (Vocational)SASSA South African Social Security AgencySGB Social Grant BeneficiariesTVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training

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ICT Intervention

• Announced changes to the data submission templates at the end of 2018.

• Engaged with the systems providers (Adapt IT, Coltech, Thusanang as well

as with Visions and own developed software Universities).

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Some additional validations are performed:

• Validate ID number using Modulus 10 method

• Validate course code, only allow validate NCV and Report 191 courses (TVETs)

• Make sure cell numbers are correctly formatted (10 characters, no spaces, only numbers)

• No duplicated id numbers in the same process cycle

• Make sure tuition fee does not exceed DHET prescription

• Make sure allowances are claimed according to the relevant guideline

• Check correct number of columns and content submitted

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ICT Intervention

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• Our goal is to have the ICT systems utilised properly to alleviate pressure on

staff and to improve data integrity.

• Data should be extracted from the institution’s system and uploaded to

NSFAS via the NSFAS web services (could be via Portal also, but service to

service preferred).

• Data will be processed via the NSFAS system automatically.

• No data massaging/finger troubles.

• 2020 submissions will only be via electronic submission.

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• Bulk processing

• Improved Scalability

• Improved Robustness

• Improved Error Logging

• Storing Raw Data for Improved problem Analysis

Improved Error-

Logging and

Feedback

Web Services

CACHE Database

Institutions

NSFAS Portal

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2020 Preparation and Statistics

• Increase in volume of applications with over 560k in total. Majority of applicants are new,

majority from KZN, majority African and female. Significant increase in the volume and spread

of applicants coming from the most vulnerable cohort of society (SASSA applicants/aka social

grant beneficiaries (SGB)

• Upfront payments have been processed

• Data integration progressing at university, NSFAS is providing support to TVETs.

• Walk-in culture in TVET system impacts on timeliness of funding decisions and thus also

payments.

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Majority (79%) of applicants are new8

79%

21%

New applicants Returning students

APPLICANTS

TOTAL: 565 543

NEW: 444 092

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APPLICATION BY

DEMOGRAPHIC

PROFILES

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AFRICAN 526 395

------------------------------------------------------------

COLOURED 24 680

------------------------------------------------------------

WHITE 5 807

------------------------------------------------------------

INDIAN 5 078

------------------------------------------------------------

OTHER 572

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2020 statistics increasing due to walk in concession

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TVET UNIVERSITY TOTALS

TOTAL Applications Received

97,231 465,301 562,532

Duplicate Applications 6,861 30,063 36,924

TOTAL Applications to be processed

90,370 435,238 525,608

Applications Processed 83,377 401,414 484,791

Applications Approved 76,518 378,546 455,064

Applications with Outstanding Documents

6,822 22,318 29,140

Assessing Financial Eligibility - Applications

37 550 587

Applications in Processing 4,761 8,286 13,047

Applications Not Eligible 2,232 25,538 27,770

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Upfront cashflow to assist NSFAS

students with registration and

allowances

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INSTITUTION 2020 ACADEMIC YEAR (R BILLION)

UNIVERSITIES R3.6BN

TVET COLLEGES

• TUITION R595.5M

• ALLOWANCES R1.02BN

TOTAL R5.2BN

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Applications for 2020

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Applications for 2020

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Registrations for 2020

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Registrations for 2020

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Funding Statistics for TVETs for 2020

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Description Count Standard allowance rates correct 122 542 83%

Accommodation and personal care rate incorrect. 98 0%

Accommodation rate incorrect. 13 0%

Neither Accommodation or transport claimed. 22 946 16%

Neither Accommodation or transport claimed. Personal care rate incorrect. 1 657 1%

Personal care rate incorrect. 29 0%

Process cycle incorrect 11 0%

Grand Total 147 296

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2020 Registration Experience 1 7

• Access or Login request confusion between Webservices

and Portal

• Incorrect Course codes resulting in high rejections

• Excel version compatibility resulting in incorrect separation

characters and data formatting issues

• Cycle 1 vs Process Cycle matching (A, S1 and T1)

• Funded list completeness (will grow as we migrate and

fund)

• Different number of students between NSFAS funded list

and students found by ITS at clients.

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2020 Registration Experience1 8

TVET issues experienced

• Subjects for Exit level Students

• NCV <= 5

• Nated <=3

• Client preview data in Excel format before uploading final

details

• New Features:

• Functionality required on ITS to exclude students who do

not qualify as per college rules

• Clients require Portal Option to view uploaded data to

NSFAS

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2020 Registration Experience1 9

• Students who receive payment into a Wallet, must

re-register via the Portal

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2020 Registration Experience2 0

TVET Allowances

• Allowances must be submitted as per NSFAS Circular No 2 of 2020

• Allowances must be rounded down, I.e. Personal care to R966 for T1

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2020 Registration Experience2 1

Private accommodation indicator must be TRUE or FALSE and

amount must go to accommodation column

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2020 Registration Experience

University issues experienced

• Credentials to be in place, both Portal and Webservices

• 2020 upload has not started in earnest yet

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What’s new at NSFAS

• New TVET business unit at NSFAS to look after TVET specific requirements

• New Rules as per DHET

• New guidelines published and circulated. NSFAS disburses according to

DHET guidelines

• TVETs to provide Examination results for specific cohort of student,

i.e. Supplementary Results, Remark Results (in development)

• N+ (2N+ Unisa) rules will be applied by NSFAS for 2020 submissions

(in development)

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What’s new at NSFAS

• 80% Attendance Rule for TVET’s via Portal

• Registration data changes for Universities

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Changes at NSFAS

Operational contacts:

• Universities Contact your Servicing Agent

• TVETS Contact your Servicing Agent

• Technical Contact NSFAS Service Desk

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Current NSFAS structure

Key Staff who have left:

• Tasneem Salasa

• Christel van Staden

• Peter Grant

• Vida van Rensburg

• Gerard Reisenberg

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Organogram2 6

Dr Randall Carolissen - Executive Administrator of NSFAS

Ms Thaaniya Issacs - Chief Risk & Governance Officer

Mr Colin Fourie - ICT Advisor to the Executive Administrator

Mr Prakash Mangrey - Risk & Finance Advisor

Ms Sinbongile Mncwabe - Special Advisor to the Executive

Administrator

Mr Mukhter Mohomed - OHSA (Security and Business

Continuity Advisor)

Dr Sibongiseni Thotsejane - Advisor: Data Matters

Ms Nthuseng Mphahlele- Acting COO

Mr Samuel Zungu - Advisor to the Executive Administrator

Ms Vuyokazi Mafilika - General Manager TVET

Ms Vuyokazi Dwane - HR Executive

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For 2019 NSFAS completed disbursements to all qualifying

students

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2019 PAYMENT OF ALLOWANCES – Progress on Funding Decisions and Payment of

Allowances as at 31 January 2020

Historic debt for 2019 will open from 1 April 2020

NO OF

STUDENTS

APPROVED FOR

FUNDING

2018

NO OF

STUDENTS

APPROVED FOR

FUNDING

2019

2019 PAYMENT OF ALLOWANCES OUTSTANDING ALLOWANCES

RECEIVED

ALLOWANCES

TOTAL AMOUNT

PAID

% RECEIVED

ALLOWANCES

ALLOWANCES

NOT

RECEIVED

% NOT

RECEIVED

ALLOWANCES

358,200 383,912 378,584 R21,329,306,946.00 99% 5,328* 1%

317,502 343,754 343,754 R5,157,954,177.00 100% 0** 0%

675,705 727,666 722,338 R26,487,261,123.00 99% 5,328 1%

U N I VER SI TY

T V E T

TOTA L

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2020 Appeal Process Streamlined For New Applicants 2 8

• Notification of change in household circumstances processed

immediately.

• Formal appeals process opened on 20 January 2020 with the

closing date of 28 February 2020.

• FTENs can appeal on myNSFAS portal.

• Returning students are required to appeal at their Institutions

where upon NSFAS will action.

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Appeals Statistics for 2020

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HISTORIC

DEBT

2017/18

• This is work in progress

• An updated report will be released

once all claims and processes are

done

• As at 03 February 2020 an amount

of R 302 616 328 was paid

• Balance payments are in process as

an when claims are processed

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NSFAS students with historic debt allowed to

register - low quality submissions are been engaged

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All historic debt files and AODs submitted by universities for 2017 and 2018 have been analysed and feedback granted to institutions in the

form of a summary and detail to student ID level.

The following are typical reasons of what constituted for a rejection or further investigation – Non approval of the full R1.7 billion:

• Create Loan - student already signed LAF or NBA but loan account never generated so the institution was never paid. NSFAS internal fix.

• Investigate Amount – amount on the institution’s historic debt submission is higher than the amount the student signed for on the AOD - where AOD is

higher than university submission, we go ahead and process.

• Investigate Institution – one student being claimed for by two institutions for the same academic year.

• Rejected - AOD - No amount on AOD/ AOD not signed.

• Rejected - Course - not an NSFAS funded course.

• Rejected - Funded no reg - institution never loaded registration - reg to be loaded by institution for relevant academic year and normal process will

follow to get to payment.

• Rejected - LAFSOP/ NBA not signed.

• Rejected - N+2 - exceeded N+2.

• Rejected - No funding record - student was never an NSFAS funded student.

• Rejected - Preselected - student is another funder funded student and not DHET.

• Rejected - Returning student academic results - institution to submit results for relevant year and progression to be accessed and normal process to

follow from there.

Description 2017 amount 2018 amount Total

Submitted 804,382,849 900,756,981 1,705,139,830

Approved 145,969,980 304,602,947 450,572,927

Paid 138,246,497 164 369 831 302,616,328

Disbursement in process 147 956 599

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2017-2019 Close-Out3 2

• Project team has been appointed to resolve data and

disbursement issues for final reporting process to start

• Fund correct student in the correct cycle at the correct

institution with the correct funder

• Institutions will be asked to assist with NBA not signed,

registrations and result uploading, etc.

• Each institution will be sent their own close-out statistics

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2017-2019 Close-Out3 3

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NSFAS SUSTAINABILITY

POST ADMINISTRATION

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Key Innovations For 20203 5

• Partnership with Department of Basic Education – NSFAS has launched a project that aims to

provide supplementary NSFAS content to Grade 9 – Grade 12 learners while they are still in class.

Our outreach program shows that scholars know very little about NSFAS. This means that this

relationship must be strengthened.

• Prepopulated Application Forms - Pertinent details about all learners will be prepopulated in the

application. Applicants can then complete outstanding information to finalize the application. For

additional security, applicants are vetted directly with Home Affairs when they register online.

• Direct Payment of Allowances – To remove commercial interests and ensure that money reaches

the student as quickly as possible, NSFAS intends to pay students via Bank account. The intent is

to replace the NSFAS Mobile Wallet system (31 TVETS currently onboard) that uses cell phone-

based system to pay student allowances.

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2020 TENET TVET Rollout3 6

C OL L EGE PL AN N ED

Q MONTH

C OL L EGE PL AN N ED

Q

M ON TH

01 BOLAND TVET COLLEGE Q4 OCT 27 LEPHALALE TVET COLLEGE Q 3

02 COLLEGE OF CAPE TOWN FOR TVET Q1 MAR 28 LETABA TVET COLLEGE Q 2

03 FALSE BAY TVET COLLEGE Q1 FEB 29 MOPANI SOUTH EAST TVET COLLEGE Q 3

04 NORTHLINK TVET COLLEGE Q1 JAN 30 NKANGALA TVET COLLEGE Q 2 A P R

05 WEST COAST TVET COLLEGE Q2 APR 31 SEKHUKHUNE TVET COLLEGE Q 3

06 EAST CAPE MIDLANDS TVET COLLEGE Q2 32 VHEMBE TVET COLLEGE Q 4

07 PORT ELIZABETH TVET COLLEGE Q2 APR 33 WATERBERG TVET COLLEGE Q 2

08 SOUTH CAPE TVET COLLEGE Q2 APR 35 EKURHULENI EAST TVET COLLEGE Q 1 M AR

09 BUFFALO CITY TVET COLLEGE Q3 37 GERT SIBANDE TVET COLLEGE Q 3

10 IKHALA TVET COLLEGE Q3 38 SOUTH WEST GAUTENG TVET COLLEGE Q 3 J U L

11 KING HINTSA TVET COLLEGE Q3 39 TSHWANE NORTH TVET COLLEGE Q 1 MAR

12 KING SABATA DALINDYEBO TVET Q3 40 TSHWANE SOUTH TVET COLLEGE Q 4

13 LOVEDALE Q2 41 ORBIT TVET COLLEGE Q 2

15 INGWE TVET COLLEGE Q2 42 TALETSO TVET COLLEGE Q 2 A P R

16 COASTAL TVET COLLEGE Q2 43 WESTERN TVET COLLEGE Q 2

18 THEKWINI TVET COLLEGE Q3 44 FLAVIUS MAREKA TVET COLLEGE Q 2

19 UMGUNGUNDLOVU TVET COLLEGE Q3 45 GOLDFIELDS TVET COLLEGE Q 2

20 MTHASHANA TVET COLLEGE Q3 46 MOTHEO TVET COLLEGE Q 3

21 UMFOLOZI TVET COLLEGE Q3 47 SEDIBENG TVET COLLEGE Q 1 M AR

22 MAJUBA TVET COLLEGE Q4 48 VUSELELA TVET COLLEGE Q 2

24 MNAMBITHI TVET COLLEGE Q2 APR 49 NORTHERN CAPE RURAL Q 3

25 CAPRICORN TVET COLLEGE Q2 50 NORTHERN CAPE URBAN TVET COLLEGE Q 2 A P R

26 EHLANZENI TVET COLLEGE Q2

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Adapt IT Contact Details3 7

• Should you need training and would like to request for a quotation send e-mail to

[email protected]

• Should you need support on the system, and you are from a TVET College send an e-mail to

[email protected]

• Should you need support on the system, and you are from a University send an e-mail to

[email protected]

• If you have queries about system sales or client issues, please send an e-mail to

[email protected]

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Thank you!

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Questions