Staff Reporter
THE Minister of Education, Sanet Steenkamp, has announced that the government has injected an additional N$247 million into the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) to fast-track the processing of outstanding student payments.
She confirmed that the disbursement of the funds commences this week, and outstanding non-tuition payments for qualifying continuing students will be finalised by mid-July 2026.
Steenkamp made these remarks in Parliament, where she addressed concerns regarding the implementation of the Subsidised Tertiary Education Funding (STEF) Model. She acknowledged the ongoing delays in the disbursement of student tuition and non-tuition funds, emphasising that NSFAF is working tirelessly to expedite all outstanding payments.
Steenkamp’s remarks follow the recent controversy involving the Deputy Minister of Education, Dino Ballotti, who criticised a group of students for protesting over the delayed NSFAF payments. In contrast to Ballotti’s earlier dismissal of the protest, Steenkamp acknowledged the frustration of the affected students, assuring that the ministry is working to resolve the issues.
“The Ministry acknowledges the frustration and inconvenience experienced by students and sincerely regrets the anxiety caused. I wish to assure this House and the student community that the teams in the Department of Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF) are working tirelessly to expedite all outstanding payments,” the minister said.
In the meantime, she explained, higher learning institutions have been requested to allow students continued access to classes and examinations, as well as to release academic results while awaiting student payments.
“With respect to the delays in the disbursement of non-tuition allowances, it must be noted that the STEF Model represents a historic and far-reaching reform introduced under tight implementation timelines. While Government successfully ensured the subsidisation of registration and tuition fees, the processing of non-tuition payments only commenced in April, at the same time that invoices were received from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). In response, mechanisms have since been strengthened to accelerate verification and payment processes, with the aim of finalising outstanding non-tuition allowances for qualifying continuing students by mid-July 2026,” Steenkamp continued.
The minister acknowledged the human resource and institutional capacity constraints arising from the reintegration of NSFAF into the Ministry. She revealed that several interventions have been implemented to strengthen operational efficiency and ensure seamless fund processing.
“These include the redeployment of personnel within NSFAF, the approval of an additional 25 staff members to support operations, and the strengthening of internal verification and payment teams, as well as enhanced coordination with institutions and stakeholders. Further administrative and technical support measures are being considered to improve turnaround times and service delivery,” Steenkamp explained.
The minister also reflected on the progress the ministry has made so far, highlighting that Government effected an advance payment of N$156 million to institutions and TVET centres at the beginning of this year to ensure that new students were able to register without upfront financial barriers and to support institutional operational requirements during the initial phase of implementation.
“In addition, an amount of N$122 million has been disbursed towards tuition- and registration-related costs, while a further N$30 million has been paid in respect of non-tuition fee support, benefiting approximately 6,436 continuing students. Furthermore, an amount of N$3 million was settled in respect of outstanding obligations from the previous academic year,” she added.
Photo: Parliament of the Republic of Namibia
