Tertiary education institutions in South Africa are permitted to individually determine the level of 2017 fees increase that their institutions require,†Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande announced on Monday.
Nzimande, however, said government recommends that the fees increments should not go above eight percent.
“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.â€
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.
– African News Agency (ANA)
