ANC STATEMENT ON UNIVERSITY FEE INCREMENTS

19 October 2015

In recent days South Africa has witnessed progressive protests led by students demonstrating against unreasonable and exclusionary fee increments being imposed by various universities across the country. These legitimate protests underscore the very important call that affordability cannot be the barometer that is used to determine whether the youth of our country have access to education - the only tool with which we can transform the world as immortalised by Former ANC President Nelson Mandela.

The ANC remains committed to the progressive realisation of free education at all levels. Since 1994 university student enrollment has more than doubled from 495 000 to 953 000 in 2012. African students in universities increased from 49% to 66% in 2010. To date, more than 1.4 million students have benefitted from National Student Financial Aid Scheme. These are the results of determined actions by the ANC government to increase access to free quality education, a legacy we must collectively guard and build upon in our quest to create an educated and skilled workforce.

The ANC welcomes the decision of the Minister of Higher Education and Training to convene a meeting with the Vice  Chancellors of our higher education institutions. It is our hope that this meeting will emerge with tangible resolutions that will ensure that universities do not use the proposed fee increases as a form of exclusion.

Statement issued by Zizi Kodwa, ANC national spokesperson, 19 October 2015