Earlier this year, it was revealed that several public universities in South Africa proposed tuition fee increases of between 5 and 7% this year. The institutions said these increases will allow them to cover the cost of inflation which currently stands at around 7%.
Students who are self-funded have to consider more than just the cost of tuition. They may have to make provision for transport, food, accommodation, learning materials and other essentials.
While the Department of Higher Education and Training is yet to approve the proposed increases to tuition fees, students are against the proposal and are pleading for the cost of tertiary education to be regulated.
Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande revealed that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) provides funding for around 60% of students enrolled in academic programmes at public universities.
Students who are funded by Nsfas come from households where the combined household income is less than R350,000 per annum. Students living with a disability can come from a household with a combined income of R600,000.
Palesa Dichaba was accepted to study journalism after successfully obtaining a matric qualification. Dichaba also secured Nsfas funding which would cover the cost of their tertiary education journey. However, they could not afford the R4,000 registration fee required by the institution.
They said, “I didn't really have that at the time and also at the same time my mother's not working and she was the only person that I was depending on failing to come up with a registration fee everything fell apart.”
Neo Lekopa's results were withheld as they owed the institution R20,000. When they finally received their results, it indicated that they would be required to rewrite one of their modules. They could not raise the funds needed to participate in the supplementary examinations.
Tertiary education expert Linda Meyer says around 20% of students enrolled at public universities fall into the “missing-middle” category.
The missing-middle refers to students whose household income is above the NSFAS household income threshold of R350,000. However, their households cannot afford to absorb the cost of tertiary education.
Meyer says paying the costs associated with tertiary education is a struggle for these missing middle students. This as they may not be able to secure a loan and will be required to work while they study.
Rekgotsofetse Chikane says while the government is investing a lot of money in funding tertiary education, South Africa has a small tax base.
Chikane argues that the quickest way to help someone out of poverty is if they obtain a university degree. The more people in possession of university degrees can lead to an increase in the number of people paying tax in the country.
They questioned whether people should be taxed more to fund more students or should the government first invest in the students who are currently not receiving funding.
DHET Deputy Minister Buti Manamela says they are looking at possible ways to regulate fees at universities around the country. They add that an intervention may include comparing costs of degrees at different institutions to work out an average cost.
