A Call for Clarity: Nehawu Presses for Transparency on 'Missing Middle' Funding

In a move that places pressure on the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has asserted the need for Minister Blade Nzimande to elucidate the details surrounding the recently announced R3.8 billion fund. This fund, designated for the 'missing middle' students, represents those caught between the pincers of financial ineligibility and inability to afford higher education costs.

The 'missing middle' refers to students coming from households with annual incomes exceeding the cut-off for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) funding, yet not high enough to support tertiary education fees—a sector often overlooked in discussions of educational support.

In an unprecedented boost, Minister Nzimande highlighted a novel Comprehensive Student Funding Model aiming to broaden the horizon and extend a supportive hand towards students sidelined by the established Nsfas bursary and funding policy. Specifically, the initiative targets families generating an income over R350,000 but below R600,000 per annum.

Nehawu has raised the flag on several pressing questions regarding the terms of the funding, particularly the modalities of loan repayment, potential interest rates, among other financial specifications. To this end, the union has issued a cal for inclusive dialogue and meaningful consultations with various sector participants, such as student bodies and worker groups, to demystify the intentions and mechanisms of this revised loan scheme.

While acknowledging the strides made by the government in supporting higher education, Nehawu maintains that significant gaps persist in the funding of post-school education and training, necessitating further ponderous work and strategic interventions.

A particularly pointed criticism from Nehawu concerns the Minister's methodology—labelled as a top-down approach—in rolling out the funding model. Accusations of sidestepping critical stakeholder contributions and an opaque communication style have been levelled against Nzimande, marking a stark disapproval of the operational dynamics within the DHET.

According to Nehawu, submissions made to the department earlier in the year, insights from the Ministerial Task-Team (MTT), and complex questions surrounding integration with post-graduate student funding, remain unaddressed or ambiguously touched upon in the minister’s announcements.

Nehawu's stance is firmly rooted in a desire for transparent and full disclosure of the comprehensive funding model's details. They posit that the stakeholders—integral cogs within the post-school educational apparatus and imperative for the model's successful implementation—must be kept well-informed and actively involved in the decision-making process.

This story closely follows the developments in higher education, spotlighting the urgent need for clarity, inclusiveness, and genuine stakeholder engagement in matters of national significance such as the funding of young South Africans’ futures.