as the minister of higher education on 3 July 2024, many people I know in the sector had to Google her name. Dr Nkabane had been deputy minister of mineral resources and energy since August 2021.
I saw some of the issues within the sector first-hand during several years as a government education official, with roles related to governance and management support in university education. I left the department of higher education and training in 2023 to join academia as a The serious administrative failures of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme have also been a key breach of trust in the system.
South Africa lacks a comprehensive student financial aid model which could improve access to different levels of higher education and include support for different levels of financial need. In January 2024, former minister Blade Nzimandeto support the so-called"missing middle" students who don't qualify for aid but can't afford to pay. But allocations have not yet been made and the sustainability of the new scheme is uncertain.