Johannesburg – Although the ANC admits that the policy on free higher education for poor students has not been adopted and is still under discussion, the party wants this practice implemented by 2020.
This was the ambitious announcement made by Naledi Pandor, the chairperson of the ANC's national executive committee's subcommittee on health and education, at a briefing at the party's headquarters in Joburg this morning.
Pandor said that the "policy on free higher education to all poor undergraduate level students has not been formally adopted as yet and is still a subject of discussions"; but asserted that this policy must be ratified and implemented by 2020, with renewed focus also on accelerating development in training and community education colleges.
"The (higher education and training) sector recommends that the ANC ensures that sector accelerates and completes the opening of professional colleges to increase training in agriculture, nursing and teaching; ensure that the sector finalises and puts into operation the model for free higher education for poor students and increased support for families that cannot afford higher education costs by 2020 as the process of ensuring free higher education for all students from poor families," Pandor announced.
The renewed focus on training colleges, Pandor added, should should see the ANC develop poicies that clarify "the nature and role of the entire college sector that comprises Community Education and Training colleges, Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges and other colleges for specialised purposes such as agriculture, nursing, emergency care, policing and teaching."