Fee-free universities not feasible - UCT, Maties
6 September 2016
Cape Town - Two of the big guns of higher education in the Western Cape say "fee-free" universities are not feasible in the current climate.
But there should be different financial mechanisms to ensure the poorest students received education without being burdened with debt, the University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University (SU) told the Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Training (fees commission) on Tuesday.
"We, as a university, do not feel that fee-free education currently is feasible for our institutions and we rather want to push for subsidised higher education for the poor," said SU Rector and Vice Chancellor Wim de Villiers.
The main sources of funding should be government grants and student fees, he said. Bursaries could be used as a "strategic tool".