Fee-free education is “critical in building an equitable South Africa”‚ social justice organisation OxfamSA says.

Oxfam made this and other submissions to the Fees Commission on Wednesday‚ expressing its view that free education is not an option but “a must”.

“OxfamSA supports the immediate implementation of a free‚ decolonised‚ quality education‚ and our submission to the Fees Commission sought to explain why we believe this is possible and to clarify some of the questions which form the basis of this enquiry‚” said OxfamSA spokesperson Isaac Mangena said in a statement on Thursday.

“Fee-free tertiary education is a constitutional‚ legislative and policy imperative in South Africa with government legally obligated to guarantee and provide it. Whilst government can mobilise all stakeholders in society to contribute towards achieving its constitutional mandates‚ government is the primary duty-bearer.

“Nowhere in the text of the Constitution is there a suggestion that this responsibility may be shared with either parents‚ business sector‚ students or any other stakeholder for that matter‚” Oxfam said.

The organisation has called on the Fees Commission to come up with an outcome framework that does not entrench and reinforce current inequalities that forced students across the country to go into the streets in protest.

“The framework should guarantee access for all. It must also not advance the right to further education and training at the expense of other socio-economic rights‚ for the individuals concerned and the general populace.”

- TMG Digital