The COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant – also known as the R350 grant – is expected to be extended to the end of March 2024. This as government continues to consider options for a replacement for the grant with no decision taken yet on how the replacement will be financed. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced the extension of the grant during his presentation of the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon. “The SRD grant was introduced in May 2020 as a temporary measure to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable, who were affected by [COVID-19 induced] lockdown measures. It has been extended several times since then. Discussions on the future of the grant are ongoing and involve very difficult trade-offs and financing decisions,” he said. As a result of the extension of the SRD grants, other social grants – such as old age grants and disability grants – will increase lower than inflation. According to Treasury, the SRD grant is ex
The admission point score (APS) and the national benchmark test are two different assessments used in the South African tertiary education system to evaluate students' academic performance and potential.
- The admission point score (APS) is a score calculated based on a student's performance in their final Grade 12 examinations. It is a cumulative score based on the student's performance in six subjects, each of which is assigned a specific weighting. The APS score is used by universities and other tertiary institutions in South Africa to determine which students meet the minimum entry requirements for specific courses or programs.
- On the other hand, the national benchmark test (NBT) is an assessment administered to students who have already been accepted into tertiary education programs. The NBT is designed to evaluate a student's academic readiness for tertiary education, focusing on critical academic skills such as reading, writing, and quantitative reasoning. The results of the NBT are used by tertiary institutions to identify students who may need additional academic support in order to succeed in their studies.
In summary, while the admission point score is used to determine if a student meets the minimum entry requirements for a tertiary education program, the national benchmark test is used to evaluate a student's academic readiness once they have been accepted into a program.
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