EFF wants free tertiary education by January 2016

Blade Nzimande’s "political act paraded for the media to write about" prompted the Economic Freedom Fighters Students Command (EFFSC) to pen a statement questioning the Minister of Higher Education’s "supposed support for free education".

Nzimande’s iteration on Tuesday that government is "committed to free higher education for the poor who are deserving to get it" the EFFSC said‚ was "scrapping for some political mileage…by giving South African students an impression the government cares about them".

"Free education cannot in this day and age come with terms and conditions. It most definitely cannot be reserved for a select few but must be available for all South Africans from grade one until their first degree‚" the EFFSC said.

"It does not make sense for the minister and the government to commit themselves to free education ‘for the poor who are deserving to get it’. What about the rest? How do you decide who deserves to get an education and who does not?"

The EFF students will likely raise that issue at a summit at which‚ Timeslive reported‚ Nzimande said "the transformation of tertiary education will be discussed".

Nzimande said the gathering would develop a vision of what "universities should look like today and in the future".

In response‚ the EFFSC said: "We are delighted to hear that the minister will be holding a summit next month and hope students‚ the biggest and most important stakeholders of higher education and training will be given big enough a platform to make a formidable contribution to everything that the summit will be discussing."

The students recommended that if the "minister’s commitment to free education is genuine‚ he must implement it as of January 2016".

"He has had over six years in office and must by now have put all systems in place to execute free education."