Higher education funding: ANC should back DA’s plan to amend the budget
The Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande, demonstrated again today that he doesn’t have a plan to address the underfunding of higher education, which has led to student protests across the country. In fact, he failed to present an “intervention plan” – despite having been summoned by the Committee to account for the crisis, and the matter being clearly on the agenda.
The truth is that Blade Nzimande and the ANC do not care about fixing the problem. They are more concerned with finding scapegoats to blame – so that they can get themselves off the hook. This needs to change urgently if we are going to ensure that young people are not excluded from higher education because they are poor.
To this end, we urge the ANC to drop its hypocritical approach to a crisis which they created. They can do this by backing the DA’s amendment to the Medium Term Budget. We have already begun the process in the Standing Committee on Appropriations this week, and have identified some R3.8 billion – within the existing budget - which could be reprioritised immediately if there is the political will to do so.
The remarks by the Minister today are clear evidence that this needs to happen as soon as possible. When I asked him where the R2.7 billion shortfall caused by next year’s fee cap would be funded and what his intervention plan was, the Minister could only make vague references to the National Skills Fund. When pressed for answers in follow-up questions, the Minister announced only two elements of his plan: indicators must be established and annual progress reports drafted. Neither of these will deal with problem we face today.
It is equally concerning that when he was asked why he had not taken the initiative and led the higher education sector proactively, the Minister decided to lay the blame on Universities. This is a thinly veiled attempt to protect himself from political accountability and worrying signs that he will use this crisis to attack university autonomy. The DA will not let this happen without a fight.
Thousands of students are suffering as a result of his ANC government’s unwillingness to prioritise higher education funding. We can change this right now if we - as elected representatives – use Parliament’s powers to amend the existing budget. There can be no more excuses.
Issued by Prof Belinda Bozzoli, DA Shadow Minister of Higher Education, 28 October 2015
