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31 August 2018
Application for 2019 NSFAS funding now open

Government has set up the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to provide students with financial assistance to cover the cost for registration and tuition and to provide them with allowances for books, food, transport, and accommodation.

Students may apply if they comply with the following criteria:

• You are a South African citizen with a household income of R350 000 or less, you are registered at this institution, and have not been approved for NSFAS funding in 2018
• You are a South African citizen with a household income of R350 000 or less, you are registered at this institution, but have not applied for NSFAS funding before
• You are a South African citizen with a household income of R350 000 or less and you plan to study at a public university or TVET College in 2019 and require funding

Make sure that you have certified and valid copies of the following documents before attempting to apply for funding:

• Your South African identity document/card (or an unabridged birth certificate (if you are younger than 16 years old)
• ID of parents and/or guardian (or death certificate where applicable)
• Pay advice/letter of employment/pension advice stating income (SASSA slips are not required and SASSA should not be included as household income)
A completed and signed consent form must be filled in with your parent’s/guardian’s signatures. Applications without a consent form signed by all people whose incomes have been declared in the application will not be accepted and will be considered incomplete
• If you have a disability, please download the Disability Annexure A, complete it, and submit it with your application

NB: The stamp on all certified documents should not be older than three months

PLEASE NOTE – YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED IF:
You have already applied for 2019 on www.nsfas.org.za and have an application reference number.

You already have NSFAS funding for 2018.

You already have an undergraduate degree/diploma or postgraduate degree other than the postgraduate qualifications listed below, which you may apply for: 

• BTech – Architecture/Architectural Technology 
• BTech – Engineering (all disciplines), Cartography, Forestry
• BTech – Biokinetics, Biomedical Technology, Biotechnology
• BTech – Chiropractic, Homoeopathy, all Nursing
• BTech – Clinical or Dental Technology, Emergency Medical Care
• Postgraduate Certificate in Education
• Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting
• LLB
 
Applicants may make use of the computer lab on campus to apply and may also contact the Financial Aid office on campus for assistance with their 2019 applications.

You may call the NSFAS Contact Centre on 08 000 67327

News Archive

Centre to enhance excellence in agriculture
2008-05-09

 

At the launch of the Centre for Excellence were, from the left, front: Ms Lesego Sejosengoe, Manager: Indigenous Food, Mangaung-University Community Partnership Project (MUCPP), Ms Kefuoe Mohapeloa, Deputy Director: national Department of Agriculture; back: Mr Garfield Whitebooi, Assistant Director: national Department of Agriculture, Dr Wimpie Nell, Director: Centre for Agricultural Management at the UFS, and Mr Petso Mokhatla, from the Centre for Agricultural Management and co-ordinator of the Excellence Model.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

UFS centre to enhance excellence in agriculture

The national Department of Agriculture (DoA) appointed the Centre for Agricultural Management within the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS) as the centre of excellence to roll out the excellence model for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME’s) for farmers in the Free State.

The centre was launched this week on the university’s Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

The excellence model, which is used worldwide, was adapted by the Department of Trade and Industry as an SMME Excellence Model. The DoA then adapted it for agricultural purposes.

“The excellence model aims to assist farmers in identifying gaps in business skills. These gaps will be addressed by means of short courses. It will help to close the gap between the 1st and 4th economy,” said Dr Wimpie Nell, Director of the Centre for Agricultural Management at the UFS.

The UFS – as co-ordinator of the SMME Excellence Model – the DoA, the private sector, municipalities, small enterprise development agencies, and non-governmental organisations will be working together to enhance excellence in agricultural businesses in the Free State.

The benefit of the model is that it changes the mindset of emerging farmers to see agriculture as a business and not as a way of living. Dr Nell said: “We also want to create a culture of competitiveness and sustainability amongst emerging farmers.”

“The Free State is the second province where the model has been implemented. Another four provinces will follow later this year. Altogether 23 officers from the DoA, NGO’s and private sector have already been trained as facilitators by the Centre of Excellence at the UFS,” said Dr Nell.

The facilitator training takes place during four contact sessions, which includes farm visits where facilitators get the opportunity to practically apply what they have learnt. On completion of the training facilitators use the excellence model to evaluate farming businesses and identify which skills (such as financial skills, entrepreneurship, etc.) the farmers need.

The co-ordinator from the Centre of Excellence, Mr Petso Mokhatla, will monitor the facilitators by visiting these farmers to establish the effectiveness of the implementation of the model. Facilitators must also report back to the centre on the progress of the farmers. This is an ongoing process where evaluation will be followed up by training and re-evaluation to ensure that successful establishment of emerging farmers has been achieved.

According to Ms Kefuoe Mohapeloa, Deputy Director from the national Department of Agriculture, one of the aims of government is to redistribute five million hectare of land (480 settled people per month) to previously disadvantaged individuals before 2010. The department also wants to increase black entrepreneurship in rural areas by 10% this year, increase food security by utilising scarce resources by 10%, and increase exports by black farmers by 10%.

“To fulfill these objectives it is very important for emerging farmers to get equipped with the necessary business skills. The UFS was a suitable candidate for this partnership because of its presence in the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGISA). With the Jobs for Growth programme, ASGISA is an important extension to the Centre of Excellence and plays a major role in the implementation of the model to improve value-chain management,” said Ms Mohapeloa.

Twenty facilitators will receive training in June and another 20 in October this year. “The more facilitators we can train, the more farmers will benefit from the model,” said Dr Nell.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za  
8 May 2008

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