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FREE EDUCATION? A peaceful protest was led from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday, 20 September 2016 based on the outcome of the recent fee increment by Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande. Hundreds of students gathered around mid-day at the KZN Legislature to detest the possible fee increment for the 2017 academic year, announced by Nzimande on Monday. Students and parents question the Deja Vu’ that comes with the 8% fee increment for the 2017 academic year. Last year, between the months August and October 2015, students set out to protest the 6% fee increase for the 2016 academic year. Now, a year later students were bombarded with a possible 8% fee increase. “There will be no university fee increase for National Student Financial Aid Schemes (NSFAS) beneficiaries. Fee increases for other students should not exceed 8%. This will apply to both universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges.” said Nzimande on Monday in Pretoria. Students were not elated by the decision and have been protesting since the latter weeks of August 2016. The increase projected by the government affects all students drastically. The struggle and escalated protests by students over the 6% fee increment as well as a proper allocation to the budget of NSFAS was in the same position this time last year.
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Last year, President Jacob Zuma declared a zero-fee increase for 2016 after students around the country protested under the hashtag, “#FeesMustFall.” Nzimande says, “While he understands the students call for a zero-percent fee increase, the government can no longer afford it. Students from the upper class and well-off families as well as students with company bursaries, who can afford the fees, are expected to pay. The Government is committing to find the resources to support all poor, working and middle class families with this subsidy funding.
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South Africa also engaged in these protests over the past month and have not yet settled down.
The question now is, is free tertiary education feasible to the economy and future of South Africa?
Questions were raised and statements made after the arsenic acts over the two UKZN premises but mainly it was who will be paying for all the damages incurred? As well as how will all the timeless law literature be replaced or recovered?
We asked students from UKZN PMB to tell us what they think of the current academic schedule disruption, fee increment and what they presume the outcome of Tuesdays protest may bring. (See page 2)
The academic programme went on as scheduled to on Tuesday with no disruptions on the Westville, Howard College, Edgewood and Medical school campuses. Even with the This proposed new funding model from the department of higher education could see 70% planned protest it did not disable any faculty in of undergraduate students exempted. However, PMB. Students that were not found on campus had participated in the protest. “The university the new fee increments for 2017 will not affect the “missing middle.” Government refers to the is aware of the call for students to protest today, in support of a zero percent fee increase. students who do not qualify for NSFAS but While we respect the constitutional right of whose parents still cannot afford to pay fees. students to protest, we expect that the protest This could cover any students from families with an income less than R600 000 a year. This action will be peaceful and not hinder the academic programme and the students right to new programme is estimated by the conduct in a learning environment,”states the department at around R2,56-billion. Executive Director of Corporate Relations, Lesiba Seshoka. “We have reached an agreement with the vice chancellors and the university council At Tuesdays’ protest outside KZN Legislature, it chairpersons that, given the sensitivity of this was said that the UKZN council will come matter, they would all be committed to being together again on October 14, 2016 to guided centrally,” said Nzimande. deliberate the 2017 fees. Students decided that they will not return to class until the UKZN The #FeesMustFall2016 protest has escalated council gets back to them and delivers their on all social media over the past 6 weeks. demand, if not they will occupy the KZN Universities have amplified their security levels on all premises due to the successful attempts Legislature until they receive what they want. on the UKZN PMB main exam hall, UKZN EFF Student Command leader and activist, Howard coffee shop and the defacing off the Bonginkosi Khanyile als addressed students at Law library. A rape allegation by a student of the protest yesterday.“This is the last time we UKZN PMB is currently under investigation as are handling over a memorandum. The next well as increased and intense police brutality. time we come here, we are going to occupy the Earlier this month rubber bullets were fired at legislature and pass free education as law. This the protesters who were damaging property government of the ANC, EFF, and DA is failing and starting fire blockades on the road. us,” said Bonginkosi. Students at the various institutions around