Student leaders have rejected Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande’s proposal of a 4.7% university fee increment.
FILE: Demonstrating students hold up placards during protests over tertiary education fees in Pretoria. Picture: EWN
JOHANNESBURG – Student leaders have vowed to fight for the commitment of the Fees Must Fall movement of a zero percent fee increment at universities across the country.
Student leaders have rejected Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande’s proposal of a 4.7% university fee increment.
They said that it made absolutely no sense to increase fees for the 2021 academic calendar due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Student leaders are warning government against increasing fees for the 2021 academic year, saying that they will not compromise on resolutions by the Fees Must Fall movement.
Wits SRC President Mpendulo Mfeka: “We’ve been painted rascals who don’t want to pay for fees and want everything for free. It makes no sense why fees should go up by 4.7%.”
The University of Cape Town’s SRC president Declan Dyer said that a zero percent fee increase was non-negotiable.
“… particularly around the zero percent fee increase and we’ll be working internally to drive that through the university bodies.”
Last week, Minister Nzimande said that a fee compact at public universities had been put in place with the intention of ensuring that institutions were able to remain sustainable.
