Johannesburg - All eyes will be on Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan to see if he will pump extra cash into university education this month.
This comes as opposition parties on Wednesday questioned the sustainability of the extra cash to universities.
This was after the government injected an additional R10 billion to fund university education for deserving students this year.
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But the DA told Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande in Parliament that the government has to come up with a long-term plan to sustain higher education to fund zero-percent fee increases next year, and subsequent years.
President Jacob Zuma was on Thursday expected to shed more light on university education funding when he delivers the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The address gives policy direction to the country, and higher education is a priority of the government.
During its 2009 election campaign, the ANC made education one of five major priorities.
The Department of Higher Education and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) on Wednesday briefed the portfolio committee on higher education on registration and funding for students this year when these questions came up.
The intervention made this year was on an emergency basis, and the government needs to create a long-term sustainable plan to fund students, said the DA.
Nzimande said Gordhan could shed light on funding for higher education for the new financial year.
This will be when the finance minister tables the Budget later this month.
In addition, there was the commission of inquiry into higher education funding set up by Zuma to look at free education at universities.
The commission has been given eight months to complete its work.
“Will we ever have enough money for the poor? Yes, we can. That is what we are trying to do, fee-free education for first years until attainment of an undergraduate degree,” said Nzimande.
He added that the commission of inquiry would look into the long-term sustainability of free education at universities.
Deputy director-general for university education Diane Parker said they had already given the commission all the information it requires.
Nzimande urged all stakeholders, including parties in Parliament, to make submissions to the commission.
This will help the country to understand the need for university funding.
NSFAS chief executive Msulwa Daca said they hoped their scheme would continue to be sustainable.
He said they also hoped that the minister of finance would put additional funding towards higher education.
But Daca warned that funding for universities had increased by 68 percent this year compared to last year.
They believed there would be a long-term sustainable plan for higher education.
He also confirmed that students who owe universities would be funded out of the R10bn.
If the returning students qualified for NSFAS funding but had debt, they would be assisted.
Daca added that the R10bn, which was allocated by the government some time ago, was outside the normal allocation.
THE STAR
Be sure to follow #Budget2016 developments on Business Report as we bring you news, reviews, analysis and opinion regarding Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's speech on February 24. Independent Media is also the media partner for this year's post-Budget breakfast and we'll be bringing you the inside scoop on February 25 and 26.