Higher Education funding crisis will hurt poor students and kill opportunities
31 August 2016
Next week, 6 September 2016, the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO) will make its submission to the Higher Education Fees Commission. DASO believes, and will argue before the commission, that with the right funding priorities poor students can receive the support they need to thrive at university.
Indeed, as was set out in the DA submission to the commission, our position is that chronic underfunding of both students and universities has a detrimental impact on poor students in particular. It is those who are most in need who will be left behind.
This cannot be allowed to happen. The DA strongly believes that no person should be denied an education simply because they are poor. By cutting corruption and reprioritising the existing budget, free higher education for the poor with support for the missing middle can be made a reality.
That is why the DA has proposed fresh solutions to the funding crisis. At the heart of this solution is that poor students should not bear the burden.