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News | A look at international trends

In 2010 NSFAS identified a need to research best practice in student financial aid in both developing and developed countries.

The NSFAS study tour to the USA took place in July 2010 which provided new insight into a number of areas, with NSFAS already implementing some of the knowledge gained.

Furthermore, a visit from a Tanzanian team in November 2010 proved beneficial as the attending delegates could share their experiences from the financial aid industry in Tanzania.

US STUDY TOUR

Many of the leading players and thinkers in the USA sector, including Jacqueline King and respected author Mr Joe Russo, were able to meet with NSFAS during the July 2010 tour to share first-hand their knowledge, experience and best practice in the industry.

The NSFAS team started at the University of Buffalo where they looked at the administration of various student aid packages, the parallels with our situation in South Africa, the stakeholders involved and their responsibilities. A walk-through of the financial aid office at the Buffalo State SUNY College also provided insight into the running of the organisation.

The team then headed off to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA) Conference in Denver, Colorado, followed by a trip to Washington and the Montgomery Community College where they had the opportunity to meet with the campus director and her associates and held formal discussions regarding the administration of student aid, specifically relating to the South African FET colleges.

This was followed by a meeting with the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, which advises and councils both Congress and the Secretary of Education. The meetings with the Department of Education regarding the South African systems compared to that of the US model were enlightening as the team also engaged with Andrew Lewis, the Deputy Secretary of Education and an Obama appointee.

Finally, NSFAS met with the National Counsils of Higher Education Loan Programmes, an umbrella entity which works with the range of third party loan service providers. Amongst others, we learnt a new term, "groan" - grants converted to loans!

Following a thorough analysis of new perspectives and knowledge gained from the trip, the tools NSFAS wishes to implement in our own organisation will ultimately create better value for the student faster and ensure that the right funding reaches the right student at the right time!

THE TANZANIAN REPORT

In November 2010, a team of delegates from the Higher Education Students' Loans Board (HESLB) in Tanzania visited NSFAS in Cape Town to share information about how a similar organisation works in a different country. The aim was to hold discussions related to the workings of the financial aid organisations in both countries and to generate ideas and share experiences.

It was established that the aims of the Higher Education Students' Board in Tanzania are similar to the aims of NSFAS as both organisations have put systems in place to identify needy students (in Tanzania and South Africa respectively) and to assist these students with financial aid to complete their tertiary education. Furthermore, both NSFAS and HESLB are also responsible for the recovery of loans and for redistributing these funds to more students in need.