The Ministry welcomes the No-fee increment by President Zuma.
24 October 2015
The Ministry welcomes the announcement by the President of the No-fee increment in our Universities for 2016 academic year. This decision was taken by the President after a meeting yesterday with the Student leaders and Universities’ leaders in Union Building.
This decision by the President took forward and brought finality on what the Minister had established as a framework for universities to review their double digit percentage increase of not more than a national inflation rate of 6%. We commend the President for his leadership in this matter.
We are calling upon all our Universities and various stakeholders to ensure that the academic programmes are resumed with immediate effect as agreed upon in the meeting with the President.
The Ministry has noted the Mail&Guardian story making claims that the Minister withheld a report on Fee-free education that he had commissioned. The objectives of the paper is to impugn the Minister and is malicious. The Minister appointed a Working group in 2012 chaired by Professor Swart to advise the Minister on the following:
- determine the actual cost of introducing fee-free university education for poor people in South Africa; in other words, what would it cost South Africa to offer fee-free university education to cover people classified as poor;
- suggest a working definition of poor people in South Africa, if necessary suggest different categories and how all can be provided fee-free university education; and consideration should be given to the ‘missing middle’, where some families do not earn enough to be considered for loans by financial institutions but are not classified as poor, thus cannot access services directed at those classified as poor;
- consider existing policy provision and broadly consult documentation of other task teams/working groups in the Department which deal or dealt with related fields;
- examine various models and options of providing fee-free higher education for poor people used elsewhere in the world and make recommendations to the Minister; and
- contemplate all possible implications and consequences of providing fee-free university education for the poor.
The report was submitted to the Minister in February 2013. The Minister presented the content of the report to the ANC NEC Health and Education Subcommittee, ANC Makgotla, the Cabinet and Treasury. The report has never been a secret nor has been sat upon by the Minister. Therefore, it is unfounded and extremely malicious for the Mail&Guardian newspaper to make this claim against the Minister.
The non-implementation of the full recommendations is a function of inadequate revenue from the national fiscus.
Thank you.
Statement issued by Khaye Nkwanyana, Director: Media Liaison Officer, Department of Higher Education and Training, 24 October 2015
