# South Africa’s public universities are facing severe strain due to ongoing dysfunction within the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and Sector Education and Training Authorities. North-West University’s Linda du Plessis warns that delayed payments, defunding, and poor governance are crippling institutions tasked with delivering quality education. While student struggles dominate headlines, the financial and operational toll on universities goes largely unnoticed. She says urgent reform is needed to avoid collapse, stressing that universities are national assets vital to development, innovation, and economic transformation.
Broken funding system threatens South Africa’s public universities