Johannesburg - Minister for Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande has yet to make an announcement regarding 2017 university fees amid speculation that campuses, together with their councils, may have to find their own way to avoid student unrest and keep institutions afloat.
Nzimande was meant to have made an announcement last month, which he postponed indefinitely, leading to students threatening protests if fees were increased next year.
Last week, the University of the Western Cape (UWC), University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University made presentations to the presidential Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Training lamenting a decreased state subsidy.
UWC deputy vice-chancellor Vivienne Lawack told the commission that state funding to the institution had declined by 11 percent since 2000. She said universities like UWC were made vulnerable by less support from the government.
Stellenbosch University vice-chancellor Wim de Villiers said the university had set itself objectives to support financially needy, academically deserving students, while ensuring long-term sustainability.
In a letter to students on Friday, De Villiers said the university did not think fee-free higher education was feasible.
“Higher education is both a public and a private good. Therefore we support a cost-sharing model. Individual, philanthropic and industry funding should augment, never replace state grants. The sector should support subsidised higher education for the poor, and we regard bursaries as a strategic instrument to ensure access for financially needy, academically deserving students,” he said.
De Villiers said a differentiated financial support model linked to annual household income should be followed instead of a differentiated student fees model.
UCT vice-chancellor Max Price, who had to be escorted out of the commission hearings venue by the police, also called for more state funding.
In a statement on Wednesday, the department’s director-general, Gwebinkundla Qonde, said an announcement would be made later this month.
“After Minister Nzimande received the report of the Council on Higher Education on their recommendation for 2017 fees, he decided to gather further views from all stakeholders, including students and university councils, before proceeding with any announcement on the matter.
“These delicate consultations are continuing,” Qonde said.
The Sunday Independent