Page 30 - Transformation Report 2023

Implementation of the new NSFAS bursary conditions both tuition and student accommodation fees are not student enterprise development. This facility serves as
limited student accommodation funding to R45 000 per being paid. Analysis of concession-related bad debt a strategic enabler for supporting our socio-economic
student per annum and also limited funding to N+1 showed that in 2020, 34% (R7.746m) was written off, while development efforts to empower students and entre-
years, where N is the number of years of study to ordinari- in 2021, 32% (R8 594m) was written off and 59% (R22 preneurs to liberate their potential and agency towards
ly complete a specific qualification. These revised condi- 294m) in 2022. Furthermore, Table 15 shows that the total contributing to the economy at various levels. Several
tions resulted in significant challenges, including student quantum of student-related bad debt written off by the workplace learning opportunities have been provided to
protests, across the sector. The new conditions negatively University amounted to R22 585m (2020), R26 475m (2021) students. A Student Entrepreneurship and Youth Employ-
impacted the University with a potential loss of R13-mil- and R37 844m (2022), with the proportion of concession ability Working Group was established to identify and co-
lion in revenue due to differences in the costs associated bad debt relative to total bad debt increasing from 2% in ordinate Graduates-in-Training opportunities within the
with the new residences that were commissioned to ad- 2020 to 11% in 2022. This is a very worrying and unsus- University. The institution received a grant of R2 153 233
dress the need for on-campus student accommodation. tainable trend. from the Education, Training and Development Practic-
This matter was taken up at sectoral level. The N+1 rule es Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA),
will also result in increased pressure on concession re- Table 14: Concession granted versus Percentage Students Graduated SRMA-related bursary funding with some of the funding spent on the appointment of
quests. (2017 to 2023). Graduates-in-Training in Human Resource Department
One of the pillars associated with the Strategic Resource and Support Services. A Graduate-in-Training Policy will
The University provided concessions to qualifying ac- their studies since concessions were introduced in 2017 Mobilisation and Advancement (SMRA) is the mobilisa- be developed to support the absorption of graduates
ademically deserving students who were unfunded have significantly decreased, from 63% in 2017 to 25% in tion of student bursaries. In 2023, a total of R118 977 767 into entry-level positions. The absorption of our gradu-
and whose family income did not exceed R600 000. 2023. Concessions provide access to students but it also was mobilised for UG and PG bursaries, up 15 percent ates aligns with the skills development objectives of the
These concessions allowed students with outstanding burden students with significant debt, especially if no ad- from R103 525 885 in 2022. A detailed breakdown of the broad-based black economic empowerment policy and
debt (which should not be later than 2022) to register ditional support is provided to assist the students to suc- sources of the funding is available in Table 12 of the re- strategy.
and be exempt from the down-payments on tuition and ceed during that semester when the concession is grant- port.
on-campus accommodation, both of which are ordinarily ed. Other than signing an ‘Acknowledgment of Debt’, no Student Housing
required of students. An acknowledgement of debt was further conditions are attached to the granting of conces- Student Employability and
signed by students who successfully applied. Appeals sions. To enhance students completing the modules they Table 16 shows that the number of students in student
were conducted on a case-by-case basis; of the 13 cases, have enrolled for, compulsory attendance of academic Entrepreneurship accommodation across the different campuses has in-
6 were granted, 6 rejected and 1 referred to the relevant support interventions should form part of the conditions creased by 9 percent YoY.
Faculty. In 2022, 9 116 applications were received, with associated with the provision of concessions. The Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator: In-
3 336 approved (37%), while in 2023, 7 451 applications frastructure Development was established to support
were received and 2 971 approved (40%) (see Table 14). Most concessions involve both tuition and accommoda-
tion. Students are placed in on-campus student accom-
Table 14 provides number of concessions granted ver- modation because external service providers of accred-
sus the percentage of graduations from 2017 to 2023. ited accommodation mainly accept students who are
The proportion of students who successfully completed supported by NSFAS or any other funding agency. The
University therefore carries an even greater risk when

Table 16: Students in residences according to campus name for 2022 and 2023.

Table 15: Proportion of Bad Debt related to Concessions from 2020 to 2022.

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