Higher Learning

[nairiporter]

South Africa: Higher Learning
http://allafrica.com/stories/200710170548.html

A UNIVERSITY degree in SA remains a privilege, not a right - despite the ruling party once promising quality public, universal and free education for all.

But if fees continue increasing at the rate proposed by some institutions this year, a university degree will soon be affordable for an elite only, out of the reach of the privileged.

The University of the Witwatersrand has agreed to cap its fee increase at 9%, following student protests. The University of Johannesburg is sticking to its guns despite protests, planning to hike fees 14% next year. Most of SA's universities are increasing fees by between 6% and 8% next year.

 

Education Minister Naledi Pandor is considering the introduction of a policy on tuition fees that would cap annual fee increases. Universities are now free to set their own fees without ministerial oversight or approval. Judging from her disapproval of this year's fees hikes, she is likely to implement her policy soon. Pandor is primarily motivated by her concern for students funded by the government's National Student Financial Aid Scheme which last year spent R1,2bn supporting 120000 students. Tuition fees are increasing at a higher rate than the increase in government's contribution to the scheme.

But even that huge investment is not enough. Recent research by the Human Sciences Research Council into the reasons why university students failed to complete their studies found that even when poor students received state assistance, their families' socioeconomic status played a significant role in their ability to persevere in their studies.

The research at seven universities found that 70% of students - two-thirds of them first-generation university students - dropped out for financial reasons. On average, their families had a monthly income of R400-R1600. Without support from their families for their living expenses, most of these dropouts sought part-time work to augment their meagre financial resources, neglecting their studies by doing so.

Despite its stated concern for poor students, government subsidies to universities have declined in real income by 3,1% since 2004. On average, SA's universities receive 29% of their income from student fees. The rest is earned through investments, research grants and fundraising.

While Pandor's determination to increase access to university for poor students is laudable, unless the government increases subsidies to universities, children of middle class parents will soon been excluded from tertiary education. An upfront fee of R4 500 and fees of up to R30 000 a year - excluding books and students' living costs - is a heavy burden for most parents.

All education - including tertiary education - is a public good, producing a skilled workforce capable of ensuring economic growth; a society with an increased capacity for innovation; a reduction in poverty and crime; and an improvement in income distribution. SA isn't performing well on any of these fronts right now.

Most of the beneficiaries of higher education in SA remain the children of parents who are able to pay all, or a portion of, fees. An increase in government subsidies to universities will increase the tax burden of all South Africans and in effect, burden poor and middle class parents with the responsibility of paying for the education of the rich. But all of society will enjoy the benefits of an educated citizenry, which would justify this burden.