Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has hinted that the answer to his department's future funding woes could lie in the Department of Basic Education’s budget.
Addressing parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education yesterday, he said the funding crisis was the problem of all post-school education facilities including universities and colleges.
But he said, the division of revenue between national and provincial budgets, particularly in education, needed to be reviewed.
Careful to point out he was not going after the Basic Education Department’s budget, he said: “Our own initial assessment is telling us that assumptions of the percentage of learners at school between Grades 1 and 12, that percentage is higher than the reality because of a very high drop-out rate after Grade 9 in particular.”
He said all those who left school, then became the responsibility of his department.
“Our sense is that we are sitting with an unfunded mandate. We need to really interrogate this, look at it broadly,” he said.
Nzimande also made it clear there was no way government could finance free higher education for everyone.
“Government's policy is free higher education for the poor. We can't afford for everyone. Wealthy students must pay. They have an economic advantage,” he said. adding that with adequate funding this would be feasible.
His deputy Mduduzi Manana, meanwhile, appeared to break from the ANC party line, condemning the police’s heavy-handed action during the protests, saying the police should be commended for avoiding “another Marikana”.
He was responding to questions from the committee chair Pinkie Phosa who wanted to know if there was a way to ensure that water cannons were used, rather than rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas.
Manana said the police had shown “remarkable restraint” in dealing with students who had “provoked” them, adding that the storming of parliament and the Union Buildings, both national key points “should be discouraged”.
A plan to detail where the R2.6-billion funding shortfall created by the zero percent fee increase is expected to be released today, Nzimande said during Tuesday’s parliamentary debate on the issue.
Blade eyes school fund for varsity fees
Addressing parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education yesterday, he said the funding crisis was the problem of all post-school education facilities including universities and colleges.
But he said, the division of revenue between national and provincial budgets, particularly in education, needed to be reviewed.
Careful to point out he was not going after the Basic Education Department’s budget, he said: “Our own initial assessment is telling us that assumptions of the percentage of learners at school between Grades 1 and 12, that percentage is higher than the reality because of a very high drop-out rate after Grade 9 in particular.”
He said all those who left school, then became the responsibility of his department.
“Our sense is that we are sitting with an unfunded mandate. We need to really interrogate this, look at it broadly,” he said.
Nzimande also made it clear there was no way government could finance free higher education for everyone.
“Government's policy is free higher education for the poor. We can't afford for everyone. Wealthy students must pay. They have an economic advantage,” he said. adding that with adequate funding this would be feasible.
His deputy Mduduzi Manana, meanwhile, appeared to break from the ANC party line, condemning the police’s heavy-handed action during the protests, saying the police should be commended for avoiding “another Marikana”.
He was responding to questions from the committee chair Pinkie Phosa who wanted to know if there was a way to ensure that water cannons were used, rather than rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas.
Manana said the police had shown “remarkable restraint” in dealing with students who had “provoked” them, adding that the storming of parliament and the Union Buildings, both national key points “should be discouraged”.
A plan to detail where the R2.6-billion funding shortfall created by the zero percent fee increase is expected to be released today, Nzimande said during Tuesday’s parliamentary debate on the issue.
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