Africa: South Africa and the Illusion of free Higher Education

Langa, Patrício V.; Wangenge‐Ouma, Gerald; Jungblut, Jens; Cloete, Nico

doi:10.1007/978-94-6351-044-8_13

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Prior to the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, higher education policies were problematic (Odhav 2009). The issues of "free" higher education and frequent tuition fee increases have been debated regularly since as early as the 1960s (Langa, Wangenge-Ouma, Jungblut and Cloete 2016). After 1994, black students in particular were demanding "free" higher education (Wangenge-Ouma 2012).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Free (from hereon not indicated by inverted commas) higher education implies that, as existing higher education funding mechanisms do not sufficiently address financial barriers to higher education opportunities (Wangenge-Ouma 2012), funding mechanisms should include subsidised tuition fees, accommodation, food, and related costs (Phungo 2015). While some student protests demand free education for the poor, the majority of students are demanding free higher education for all (Langa, Wangenge-Ouma, Jungblut and Cloete 2016;Parker 2015). South Africa's Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Mduduzi Manana, urged those who can afford to pay for their education to do so (SABC news 2016).…”

Section: Defining Free Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The views of commerce students regarding "free" higher education in South Arica

Bitzer

Jager

2018

SAJHE

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At the end of 2015, student protests (demanding "free" higher education) took place at most South African universities. In the meantime, a zero per cent increase in university fees for 2016, an increase of not more than 8 per cent for 2017 was announced and by the end of 2017 fully subsided higher education for students from poor and low-income families was granted. South Africa is known for expensive higher education as tuition fees increase every year. Many students struggle to fund their studies, while government subsidies to higher education institution decrease. The question that remains is: Will it be feasible for South Africa to implement "free" higher education? This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of commerce students at one South African university regarding the feasibility of "free" higher education. A questionnaire was used as research instrument which consisted of Likert-scale statements regarding general ideas about "free higher education" as well as open-ended questions asking students about the definition of "free higher education" and the effects on the South African economy. The results proposed that even though most students were aware of the students' protests regarding "free higher education" that took place, not all of them agreed with it. The respondents realised that it is not feasible for South Africa to implement "free higher education" at this moment in time. Despite the views of these commerce students, if "free higher education" were considered as a viable option in South Africa, implementation considerations should be examined. These issues will be discussed in a follow-up study.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defining Free Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The views of commerce students regarding "free" higher education in South Arica

Bitzer

Jager

2018

SAJHE

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“…Table 1 indicates that a minimum of R25.91 billion additional funding was required to achieve fee-free higher education in 2016. Currently, the government contributes approximately 0.9 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) to higher education (Langa et al 2016; South African Institute of Race Relations 2016), therefore the GDP needs to grow by R2.88 trillion to sustain free higher education.…”

Section: The Viability Of Fee-free Higher Education In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although free higher education may be an ideal, it has proven to reproduce and reinforce inequalities, and is not affordable by poor political economies in the long run as increased enrolments require growing resources to sustain quality education (Langa et al 2016). Clearly, free higher education is not sustainable for South Africa.…”

Section: The Viability Of Fee-free Higher Education In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In South Africa, the affordability of higher education remains a challenge due to declining state funding in real terms (reducing by 1.1 per cent from 2000 to 2012) and the low portion of GDP going to higher education (around 0.9%) (Langa et al 2016, South African Institute of Race Relations 2016). It is estimated that the percentage of GDP to higher education should at least double to allow higher education institutions to realise their role (Heher, Ally, and Khumalo 2016, 5).…”

Section: The Importance Of Higher Education and Funding Of Higher Edumentioning

confidence: 99%

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#Feesmustfall and beyond: Towards a sustainable national student loan regulatory framework

Jacobs

Moolman

Beer

2019

SAJHE

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Universities have been forced to raise higher education fees with above inflation rates due to increasing operating costs and higher student numbers and decreasing real term government funding. While free higher education or other alternative funding models are being considered, the higher education sector is at stake: a sector that plays a vital role in creating improved lives for all South Africans. A sustainable framework is desperately required or universities will once again need to increase student fees at unreasonable rates to maintain quality. We therefore performed a mixed method documentary analysis to prove that fee-free higher education is not viable in South Africa as significant funds will either need to be reallocated from other sectors that also require funding, or it will have to be collected from already overburdened tax payers. The present study also developed a viable student fee regulatory framework with the use of grounded theory: subsidised higher education with the effective use of the already implemented National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

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Diretrizes para uma abordagem inovadora da desigualdade no Sul Global

Webster

Valodia

Francis

2020

RBEST – Rev. Bras. Econ. Soc. Trab.

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Este artigo apresenta as diretrizes de uma abordagem da desigualdade que seja apropriada para países do Sul Global do ponto de vista conceitual, metodológico e empírico. Buscamos inicialmente criticar os enfoques convencionais e, em seguida, apresentamos estudos que contribuem para entender as causas multidimensionais da desigualdade nesses países, em especial na África do Sul. Nossa intenção é contribuir para a construção de uma agenda de pesquisa inovadora, que seja interdisciplinar, historicamente embasada e centrada nas relações de poder. Além disso, tal abordagem deve buscar combinar a explicação no campo teórico (ressaltando elementos estruturais e institucionais) com a análise comparada de trajetórias nacionais (identificando semelhanças e divergências) e com a discussão substantiva das políticas públicas destinadas a superar os problemas diagnosticados (examinando seus principais resultados imediatos).

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Africa: South Africa and the Illusion of free Higher Education

Cited by 9 publications

References 3 publications

The views of commerce students regarding "free" higher education in South Arica

The views of commerce students regarding "free" higher education in South Arica

#Feesmustfall and beyond: Towards a sustainable national student loan regulatory framework

Diretrizes para uma abordagem inovadora da desigualdade no Sul Global

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