2026 Academic Year readiness; NSFAS stabilisation; SETA appointments; with Minister

Video The Committee engaged with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) on the 2026 Academic Year state of readiness, as well as engage the Minister on the SETA board and CEO appointments. NSFAS was also present to brief the Committee on its state of readiness for 2026 as well as on governance and stabilisation matters. SAPCO, SATVETSA, Higher Health and USAf also provided briefings although the latter could not be present. The session exposed significant systemic risks to the stability of the 2026 academic year arising from governance failures, funding delays, institutional capacity constraints, and unresolved legal and administrative weaknesses across the post-school education and training sector. The discussion underscored that the challenges confronting universities, TVET colleges, CET colleges, SETAs, and NSFAS are not isolated operational problems, but interconnected failures of planning, accountability, and execution that, if left unaddressed, are likely to result in disruption at the start of the academic year. A central concern related to the structural misalignment between academic calendars, funding flows, and student admissions processes. It was emphasised that the current approach, whereby NSFAS confirms funding only after institutions finalise course offers, risks excluding financially vulnerable students from available spaces. Institutions are compelled to allocate places to students who can afford upfront registration, while NSFAS-funded students receive confirmation after spaces have already been taken. This approach was identified as a material risk for 2026, with the potential to destabilise registration processes and exacerbate inequality. Funding flows to institutions were identified as a persistent weakness. It was noted that departmental transfers to universities are disproportionately concentrated in the fourth quarter of the financial year, undermining institutional cash flow and operational planning. NSFAS disbursements to u