Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has hailed the implementation of different schemes across the university and TVET system that support students to obtain digital devices and data to support learning and teaching.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) implemented a central scheme to provide laptops to funded students while several universities implemented their own schemes to support students to obtain a device.
Department spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi says a pre-order has been made of laptops.
“Minister Nzimande said that NSFAS pre-ordered the first batch of 170 000 laptops for NSFAS funded Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college and university students in February and March 2021.”
Mnisi says, “It is projected that approximately 160 000 of these devices will go to TVET students, whereas the balance is earmarked for universities. The demand for universities is based on applications from students. NSFAS has prioritised TVET returning students who are confirmed as funded for the current active cycles which include the annual National Certificate (Vocational), Trimester 2 and Semester 2 programmes.”
The July 2021 COVID-19 monitoring reports received from universities show that data bundle provision to students remains high across the system,” he added.
