MINISTER of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande has turned to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan for advice on whether to increase tertiary education fees in 2017.
This comes after Nzimande postponed an announcement on a possible fee increase amid threats of student protests similar to the #FeesMustFall campaign, which caused R145 million in damages at universities last year.
Nzimande’s spokesperson, Khaye Nkwanyana, said the minister would take no longer than two weeks to make an announcement after Universities SA and the University Council Chairs Forum met Nzimande last week to discuss a minimum increase of 8 percent in universities’ annual income for 2017.
Nkwanyana said Nzimande would meet Gordhan this week to discuss the matter.
“The minister wants to reassure the public that he is treating this with great sensitivity. On the one hand, he will be turning to the finance minister for advice, and on the other he is saying to students there is no need to mobilise.”
At a press briefing at University of Johannesburg yesterday, Nzimande said the government is committed to addressing the needs of the poor.
“We cannot allow poor families to continue with the burden of fees. Let these processes be given a chance and be calm. There is no need to shut down any universities.
"We are engaging with everyone extensively. We are all impatient to conclude this. That is why we have set the timeline of end of August.”
Universities SA chairperson Adam Habib said the government and universities should be focusing on students who do not qualify for student loans.
“We recognise that government has greatly increased the resources allocated to National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), which is targeted at the chronically poor in our society.
"This is a notable achievement, even though there will be students in this category for whom there aren’t sufficient resources allocated to NSFAS.
“However, there are still many students, commonly known as the ‘missing middle’, who find themselves outside the NSFAS net and are unable to sustain themselves at universities. It is imperative that we collectively find a solution to address their financial crisis for 2017.”
Last week, South African Students Congress (Sasco) and South African Union of Students threatened student protests similar to those last year.
Fees Must Fall activist Mohammed Jameel Abdulla said: “Sasco and the South African Union of Students have given warnings about protests, but most of us are just in discussion. Some of the stronger sentiments are for a change in strategy and against shutdowns.”
The NSFAS announced on Monday that the roll-out of student loan online applications is under way.