Waseem Carrim on NSFAS, R45 Billion Student Debt, and Free Education

"I think the perception created in the media of this kind of chaotic fund, you know, where everything is going wrong, is not correct."

Waseem Carrim, the Acting CEO of NSFAS, joins Palatable Politics to tackle the fund's biggest controversies. He addresses the staggering R45 billion in historical student debt , the internal instability (9 CEOs in 9 years) , and the introduction of the "Missing Middle" loan. Carrim explains the massive scale of funding 900,000 students and argues that despite the "chaotic" perception , NSFAS is a key democratic gain, responsible for a 4x increase in black African graduates since 1994.

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00:00 - Intro: Student Debt & NSFAS Perception
01:18 - The History of NSFAS Instability
02:47 - Impact of the 2017 "Free Education" Policy
06:36 - The Current Model: Bursary vs. "Missing Middle" Loan
09:05 - Explaining the R45 Billion Student Debt
13:03 - The Controversy Over Blacklisting Students
15:22 - Failing & Repeating: The N+1 Rule
17:41 - Funding Degrees with Low Job Prospects
20:48 - University vs. TVET College: Shifting the Mindset
23:41 - Can NSFAS "Defund" a Student?
24:42 - Is the NSFAS Model Sustainable?
30:00 - The Student Accommodation Crisis
37:50 - Does NSFAS Pay Landlords on Time?
39:57 - The 10 Billion Deficit: What Happened?
42:22 - Student Allowances & Cost of Living
48:26 - Problem: Allowances Spent on Alcohol & Gambling
50:06 - The Plan for the 2026 Student Intake
55:55 - Mythbusting: Is NSFAS a "Chaotic Fund"?
57:05 - The Big Success: 4x More Black African Graduates
57:43 - Final Message: You Must Pay Your Debt

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