Sudafrica: Higher Education Minister welcomes release of Fees Commission report

Sudafrica/Johannesburg/news24.com

Resumen: Hlengiwe Mkhize, el martes dio la bienvenida a la publicación del informe sobre la Educación Superior en Sudafrica de la Comisión Heher, enfatizando que no hace ningún pronunciamiento o decisión. Mkhize dijo que la publicación del informe conduciría a una discusión saludable sobre una base informada, para un camino más sostenible.»Esto proporcionará una oportunidad para que las comunidades académicas, estudiantiles y más amplias lo estudien y se familiaricen con los detalles de los hallazgos, propuestas y escenarios alternativos del juez Heher», dijo. Al respecto indicó que no creía que el contenido del informe pudiera provocar un estallido de protestas en el campus.»Tengo la creencia de que todos los representantes que están mirando el informe tienen en serio la difícil situación de los estudiantes. No preveo ninguna decisión [en el informe] que pueda dañar a los estudiantes per se», dijo. La Comisión Heher fue establecida por el presidente Jacob Zuma en 2015 luego de protestas estudiantiles en todo el país por las tarifas. Estaba encabezado por un juez retirado, el juez Jonathan Heher. La comisión exploró la viabilidad de los modelos de financiación para la educación superior. Zuma recibió el informe el 30 de agosto y «aplicó su mente» a él, solo lo publicó tres meses después de recibirlo. El informe de 752 páginas , publicado el lunes, concluyó que actualmente no hay capacidad para que el estado brinde educación terciaria gratuita a todos los estudiantes del país. Recomienda, entre otras cosas, préstamos de contingencia garantizados por el gobierno de los bancos comerciales para estudiantes de pregrado y posgrado, y un enfoque en las escuelas de educación y formación profesional técnica (EFTP), que serán gratuitas. Se transferirán R50bn del superávit del Fondo de Seguro de Desempleo (UIF) para el desarrollo de infraestructura.

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Higher Education Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize on Tuesday welcomed the release of the Heher Commission report, emphasising that it does not make any pronouncements or decisions.

«It provides government with recommendations only. Decisions still have to be made by government. Government must have the space to conduct a thorough due diligence and to weigh up all aspects of the proposals,» she said in Pretoria.

Mkhize shared that debt, especially for poor students, was a concern of hers and had to be monitored closely.

«Having come from a very poor background as well, my belief is that education is the ladder of taking yourself out of poverty – and your family. So if you inherit a huge debt coming out of school, it might not help those who have sacrificed to put you through.»

Mkhize said that the release of the report would lead to a healthy discussion on an informed basis, for a more sustainable way forward.

«This will provide an opportunity for the academic, student, and broader communities to study it and to familiarise themselves with the detail of Judge Heher’s findings, proposals, and alternative scenarios,» she said.

Peace on campuses

Mkhize called for peace on campuses. She hoped students would be able to complete exams so they did not miss out on opportunities available to them.

She did not believe that the contents of the report might lead to a flare up of protests on campus.

«I have this belief that all representatives who are looking at the report have the students’ plight at heart. I don’t foresee any decision [in the report] that could harm the students per se,» she said.

Responding to a question from a journalist, Director-General Gwebs Qonde said that they were not aware of an individual by the name of Mukovhe Morris Masutha, as he was not an employee of the higher education department.

According to reports, Masutha is behind a plan for free education which would fly in the face of the Heher Commission’s findings that South Africa cannot afford blanket free higher education.

News24 reported exclusively on Monday that Morris was listed as an employee of the State Security Agency during his time as a student activist at Wits University.

The Heher Commission was put in place by President Jacob Zuma in 2015 following nationwide student protests over fees. It was headed by retired judge, Judge Jonathan Heher.

The commission explored the viability of funding models for higher education. Zuma received the report on August 30 and «applied his mind» to it, only releasing it three months after receiving it.

The 752-page report – which was released on Monday – concluded that there was currently no capacity for the state to provide free tertiary education to all students in the country.

It recommends, among other things, government guaranteed income-contingency loans from commercial banks for undergrad and postgrad students, and a focus on technical vocational education and training (TVET) colleges – which will be free. R50bn will be transferred from the surplus of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) for infrastructure development.

Mkhize was previously the minister of Home Affairs before President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle on October 17.

Fuente: https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/higher-education-minister-welcomes-release-of-fees-commission-report-20171114