Pretoria - Universities are to be allowed the decide on their on fee increases for the 2017 academic year.
However, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said the increase had to be transparent, reasonable and linked to inflation. “It must not not go beyond 8%,” he told journalists in Pretoria.
“We have looked at it from all sides and decided to let universities decide on increases with caution to take affordability. Universities cannot operate on less funds as things had gone up.”
Those who can pay, must pay, Nzimande said.
He said, however, that the government would continue to look to support the “missing middle” students, who cannot afford to pay but do not qualify for NSFAS funding.
“To ensure that such inflation-linked fees adjustments on the 2015 fees baseline are affordable to financially needy students, government is committed to finding the resources to support children of all poor, working and middle class families – those with a household income of up to R600 000 per annum – with subsidy funding to cover the gap between the 2015 fee and the adjusted 2017 fee at their institution,” said Nzimande.
He said this will be done for fee increments up to eight percent.
“This will in effect mean that all NSFAS qualifying students as well as the so-called ‘missing middle’ – that is students whose families earn above the NSFAS threshold but who are unable to support their children to access to higher education, will experience no fee increase in 2017. Government will pay for the fee adjustment.”
Nzimande said as stakeholders wrestled on how to respond adequately, they knew the institutions had to be supported. Starving them is not way to go, the minister said.
While it was important to discuss fees, the minister said other issues of transformation must not be neglected. Universities were also expected to pay staff reasonable living wages, he added.
Last year a number of university campuses were shut down after the #FeesMustFall campaign gained momentum and even saw students storm Parliament and the Union Buildings. This led President Jacob Zuma to announce a zero percent fee hike for the 2016 academic year.
According to reports, students at Wits are demonstrating with the aim of shutting down the university following Nzimande’s announcement.
Students are now calling: "Media go away!!" #Wits #feesmustfall2016 pic.twitter.com/umJ8GODHDH
— Ilanit Chernick (@LanC_02) September 19, 2016
Walking through the corridors, students being told to leave lecture halls and join struggle. #FeesMustFall2016 pic.twitter.com/r22JRjxSP4
— Ilanit Chernick (@LanC_02) September 19, 2016
University of Cape Town students are also set to hold a mass meeting on Monday afternoon to discuss the way forward.
UCT students are now on Main Road @IOL #Fees2017 pic.twitter.com/Ra5aSFQ0VC
— Andrew Robertson (@AndrewRobertsn) September 19, 2016
UCT suspended lectures and tests on Monday as a precautionary measure in lieu of the announcement.
Pretoria News and African News Agency