Even the poorest of university students will have to find a way to pay back the money for their tertiary education, or risk getting nailed by the taxman.
This is one of the key recommendations put forward by the Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Training.
The commission’s interim report, dated November 2, was released by President Jacob Zuma yesterday, just moments before he was quizzed on the #FeesMustFall protests during a Q&A session in parliament.
The commission, established in June amid ongoing and often violent protest action, was tasked with exploring calls for free education and alternate sources of funding for tertiary education.
The final report is expected to be completed in June 2017.
Despite acknowledging that “too many deserving candidates” were excluded for financial reasons, the commission said students who received state funding should not expect a free ride.
“Because higher education and training produces substantial longterm benefits for both the state and a successful student, persons who enjoy fee-free higher education should be treated as loan recipients,” the report said.
A reasonable obligation to repay in full or in part would arise when a certain level of income was earned.
“An important influence in favour of the obligation to repay was the perceived need to render the funding process self-sustaining as fully and as quickly as possible.”
The report slated the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for being ineffective at collecting debts from graduated students, and said it should hand this responsibility over.
However, the commission also found calls for free education should go beyond fees, factoring in transport, accommodation, learning materials and living expenses.
It also called on the state to find substantially more money to fund higher education.
No free ride for SA students
This is one of the key recommendations put forward by the Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Training.
The commission’s interim report, dated November 2, was released by President Jacob Zuma yesterday, just moments before he was quizzed on the #FeesMustFall protests during a Q&A session in parliament.
The commission, established in June amid ongoing and often violent protest action, was tasked with exploring calls for free education and alternate sources of funding for tertiary education.
The final report is expected to be completed in June 2017.
Despite acknowledging that “too many deserving candidates” were excluded for financial reasons, the commission said students who received state funding should not expect a free ride.
“Because higher education and training produces substantial longterm benefits for both the state and a successful student, persons who enjoy fee-free higher education should be treated as loan recipients,” the report said.
A reasonable obligation to repay in full or in part would arise when a certain level of income was earned.
“An important influence in favour of the obligation to repay was the perceived need to render the funding process self-sustaining as fully and as quickly as possible.”
The report slated the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for being ineffective at collecting debts from graduated students, and said it should hand this responsibility over.
However, the commission also found calls for free education should go beyond fees, factoring in transport, accommodation, learning materials and living expenses.
It also called on the state to find substantially more money to fund higher education.
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