Higher Education, Science, and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande has said theR100-million information technology (IT) system the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) started using around 2013, was found to be inadequate four years later.
This IT system and several other administration and business operating inefficiencies will form part of an investigation by a Ministerial Task Team reviewing NSFAS business processes.
Nzimande briefed MPs during a virtual sitting of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology on Friday. He said NSFAS did not have the requisite capacity and technical knowledge required for a successful student financial aid administration.
The IT platform and systems built to manage the processes were not able to function effectively.
“It’s something I am concerned about. I remember approving, around 2013, about R100 million for the procurement of a new IT system for NSFAS. By 2017, it was exposed as being inadequate. I don’t understand why,” Nzimande said.
“I am still very concerned to go back to that and understand why we paid R100 million for an IT system which is found [four] years down the line, to be terribly wanting. This caused huge delays.”
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