Universities will receive an additional R17bn over the next three years, making them the biggest winner of Wednesday’s medium-term budget statement. The policy statement hints, though, that free higher education is not on the cards. The R17bn — which includes R7.6bn to universities to compensate for the fees freeze for students whose families earn less than R600,000 a year and another R9.2bn to bolster the National Student Financial Aid Scheme – follows February’s additional allocation of R11.2bn. This makes post-school funding the second fastest growing item in the budget over the past five years after debt costs. While the 2016 increase for the student aid scheme was intended in part to cover outstanding debt, the 2017 allocation is intended to ensure students are better funded and, for those on the scheme, the full costs of study are covered. This will depend on enrolment, which the Treasury hints has been growing at unsustainable levels.
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