Parliaments Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) sent the officials from the Higher Education Department packing, saying it needed the minister or his deputy to brief them.
MPs say that Deputy Minister Buti Manamela is best placed to answer their questions on the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and the National Skills Fund.
The department was scheduled to update Scopa on investigations into the two entities.
The Auditor-General found irregularities with procurement, direct payment mechanisms as well as governance and administrative challenges at NSFAS.
Recent reports pinned corruption through the National Skills Fund at over R200 million.
