FREE HIGHER EDUCATION
SA has the money to cover fees, says Equal Education
The advocacy organisation argues that refusing to provide free higher education will hurt poor black youth
Advocacy organisation Equal Education (EE) made an impassioned plea for the provision of free, quality higher education at the fees commission on Wednesday, saying SA had an abundance of resources that were mismanaged. President Jacob Zuma set up the commission in October 2015, after the first wave of #FeesMustFall protests, to make recommendations on the feasibility of free higher education and training. EE general secretary Tshepo Motsepe said refusing to provide free higher education would affect poor black youth. "We are not a poor country, we are a mismanaged country," Motsepe said during the organisation’s submission. EE has proposed that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme be converted into a full grant scheme funded by big corporates, including state-owned entities, and the state, which were the biggest beneficiaries of university graduates. Motsepe said entities had money set aside for bursaries and redirecting those funds into a grant system administered by all stake...
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