There should be a differentiated fee structure to fund students for higher education studies‚ which would allow the poor to pay less and the rich to pay up to 10 times more‚ the Fees Commission heard on Thursday.
Centre for Higher Education Trust director‚ Nico Cloete‚ said higher education fees were a bargain for the elite‚ just affordable for the relatively affluent middle class with loans and debt‚ and totally unaffordable for the actual middle class and the poor.
He suggested that poor students be better selected for university‚ and when admitted‚ better supported‚ not only financially and academically‚ but also socially.
One possibility‚ said Cloete‚ was a sliding scale of contributions‚ with the rich paying R150 000 per year and the poor paying R15 000.
“Italy is a country where fees are determined by income‚” Cloete said.
He warned that if higher education was totally free‚ the country would have a problem encountered in some European countries where students stayed longer in universities and did not complete their studies.
Earlier‚ Cloete told the commission that levels of inequality in South Africa meant that free higher education would proportionally benefit the privileged.
“If you give subsidies for free higher education‚ subsidies will go to rich people.”
This was because poor people did not qualify for higher education in large numbers. “It is the middle class which go to the university‚” Cloete said.
The commission‚ chaired by Judge Jonathan Heher‚ was established in January to inquire into‚ report on and make recommendations on the feasibility of a fee-free higher education and training in South Africa.
President Jacob Zuma appointed the commission following protests by university students last year against the high costs of university education.
Rich should pay 10 times more than poor‚ Fees Commission hears
There should be a differentiated fee structure to fund students for higher education studies‚ which would allow the poor to pay less and the rich to pay up to 10 times more‚ the Fees Commission heard on Thursday.
Centre for Higher Education Trust director‚ Nico Cloete‚ said higher education fees were a bargain for the elite‚ just affordable for the relatively affluent middle class with loans and debt‚ and totally unaffordable for the actual middle class and the poor.
He suggested that poor students be better selected for university‚ and when admitted‚ better supported‚ not only financially and academically‚ but also socially.
One possibility‚ said Cloete‚ was a sliding scale of contributions‚ with the rich paying R150 000 per year and the poor paying R15 000.
“Italy is a country where fees are determined by income‚” Cloete said.
He warned that if higher education was totally free‚ the country would have a problem encountered in some European countries where students stayed longer in universities and did not complete their studies.
Earlier‚ Cloete told the commission that levels of inequality in South Africa meant that free higher education would proportionally benefit the privileged.
“If you give subsidies for free higher education‚ subsidies will go to rich people.”
This was because poor people did not qualify for higher education in large numbers. “It is the middle class which go to the university‚” Cloete said.
The commission‚ chaired by Judge Jonathan Heher‚ was established in January to inquire into‚ report on and make recommendations on the feasibility of a fee-free higher education and training in South Africa.
President Jacob Zuma appointed the commission following protests by university students last year against the high costs of university education.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos