The successful protest movement from students to halt university fee increases for next year will hit universities for at least R2.2 billion, according to the City Press.<\/p>\n
The paper calculated the figure based on fee collections in 2012, applying the average fee increase over the years since 2000 and adjusting for inflation.<\/p>\n
According to the City Press, tuition and residence fees collected this year amounted to approximately R22.5 billion. Now, with a 0% increase, universities will be missing out on R2.2 billion that needs to be recovered elsewhere.<\/p>\n
While President Jacob Zuma was the one to announce that fees would be increasing by 0% in 2016, reports have surfaced saying that university vice-chancellors said that they agreed to this only on condition that government would cover the shortfall.<\/p>\n
However, Zuma, higher education minister Blade Nzimande and Science and Technology minister Naledi Pandor were non-committal on the issue, City Press said.<\/p>\n
According to the report, universities were “strong-armed” into finding the money from their own accounts, and would have to revise annual budgets to cover the bill.<\/p>\n
However protesting students weren’t calling for fees to simply stay the same – free education is a key point that students want to tackle, and have vowed to continue protesting for.<\/p>\n
There is general consensus that free education will not be free for all – and it is presumed that it will be for those in need, and take the form of education paid for by the state.<\/p>\n
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), which set aside R9.5 billion for student financial aid would thus need to increase the figure to R15 billion, according to a working group set up by Nzimande.<\/p>\n
However that’s based on student numbers from 2014, at 2010 prices – adjusted for inflation, this would actually reach well over R20 billion.<\/p>\n
The current higher education budget is R42 billion.<\/p>\n
The full story can be read in the City Press for 25 October 2015<\/em><\/p>\n What you need to know about university fees in South Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n How much money students owe South Africa\u2019s universities<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n This is how much money South Africa\u2019s top universities make<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on education in SA<\/h3>\n