Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) once again had the privilege to co-host the 20th Financial Aid Practitioners of South Africa (FAPSA) Conference. The FAPSA is a professional organisation of Financial Aid Practitioners at higher education institutions in South Africa. MUT, DUT, and UKZN co-hosted this year’s conference in Durban from 9 to 11 October 2024. All 26 universities and 50 TVET colleges attended the meeting. The conference’s purpose was for Financial Aid Officers (FAOs) to deliberate on issues of common concern and strategise on ways to deal with challenges faced by the FAOs when managing students’ funding. FAPSA is also a platform for Financial Aid Officers to learn from one another and share their best practices to improve student service delivery.
Delivering her speech to the delegates, Dr Connie Israel, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at MUT, emphasised stewardship. She told the delegates that stewardship is crucial in managing the university’s and funders’ relationship. She also stated that the relationship created with the funder is more than signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU); stewardship is pivotal in maintaining that relationship.
Nontuthuko Mbhele, Chief Financial Officer of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and Pieter du Plessis CA (SA), Executive Director of the University of Zululand, also took the podium.
Another conference highlight was a presentation by the NSFAS Administrator, Freeman Nomvalo. Andrew Kubone, MUT Financial Aid Office Manager, said, “The audience was anxiously waiting for Nomvalo’s pronouncement because his organisation’s decisions will impact what is happening at universities regarding student funding.” Nomvalo said that NSFAS has got to change. “It cannot continue as it is. Someone above wants these NSFAS challenges to be resolved. It is our duty as a collective to make it happen”. Nomvalo also asked for intensified collaboration among all stakeholders to make the turnaround successful. Kubone said the delegates’ response supported what the NSFAS Administrator is planning to do to change NSFAS.
On the second day of the conference, FAPSA presented MUT Financial Aid Office with an award for community development work. The MUT Financial Aid Office (FAO) was being recognised for its annual “Awareness Campaign,” which assists Pre-Tech students and matriculants in applying online for NSFAS for the following year. The campaign is conducted in October every year before the commencement of final grade 12 examinations.