JOHANNESBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th March, 2021) Cash-strapped South Africa cannot afford to pay for all students at national institutions of vocational and higher learning, the deputy minister of higher education said.
"We can only fund a certain number of students, also based on the high cost of certain career courses," Buti Manamela told a panel on the funding crisis on Wednesday.
The conference came a week after student protests at the Wits University in Johannesburg over lack of state subsidies left a passerby killed and two youths injured. The students' union called for a nationwide shutdown of universities starting Monday, the first day of the academic year.
Manamela said that all those who qualified for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme would have access to education, after some students were unable to register for courses because they were in arrears on tuition fees.
The official said the cap on the number of NSFAS beneficiaries had been raised from 150,000 to 350,000 students. The government is paying an equivalent of $2 billion for students of both vocational schools and universities.
Manamela estimated that making education free for all would cost the government some $8.7 billion, "and if that would be the case not all students would have access, it would not be universally acceptable," he added.
