ANCYL Statement on the Fees Report

Training. The ANCYL welcomes some recommendations as made to by the Commission. Notable is the recommendation of establishing an education fund which most institutions and individuals can contribute. We encourage that main players be both government and the private sector which should contribute.

ANCYL calls on the government of the ANC to take proactive action in fast tracking these in the National Assembly. The ANCYL calls on government to work tirelessly in ensuring that free education is implemented. We call on governmental to start implementing free education as of next year, 2018. We make this demand out of a reality that is not desirable in South Africa.

We know in South Africa that the youth, according to Stats SA, is less skilled in contrast to older generations in SA, that is bad. It is a legitimate evolutionary expectation that the youth should have more skills than their parents. The only way to change this around is Free education, particularly in areas which the report identified as areas where we need to do improvement on TVET.

The ANCYL remains clear without doubt that free education is a must in SA under these conditions. There can never be Economic Freedom through Radical Economic Transformation that will neglect education as source and means of give more skills to youth. Education remains the pillar of skills, knowledge and development of many things including information itself, how could this be preserve of the privilege few. Free education now, free education today for the future might not be the future of this youth thus free education now.

Statement issued by Mlondi Mkhize, ANC Youth League national spokesperson, 14 November 2017