ATC160824: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training on the Round-Table Discussion with Student Representative Councils (SRCS), dated 24 August 2016
Higher Education, Science and Innovation
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING ON THE ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION WITH STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCILS (SRCs), DATED 24 AUGUST 2016
The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training (herein referred to as the Committee) having conducted a Round-Table Discussion with the Department of Higher Education and Training (herein referred to as the Department), the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and the Student Representative Councils (SRCs) of universities on the 03 December 2015, reports as follows:
1. Introduction and background
The Committee received a request from University students to have a meeting so as to engage on issues and challenges affecting them. The Committee acceded to the students’ call and resolved to call the Student Representative Councils (SRCs) as they represent students. The Committee held a Round-Table Discussion on 3 December 2015, at the Southern Sun Hotel, OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng. The Ministry of Higher Education and Training, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, the SRCs Presidents and their Deputy-Presidents from all the 26 South African Universities were invited. There were also a few SRC Secretary-Generals in attendance as well as the media.
1.1. The objectives of the Round-Table Discussion were to engage on the following:
(i) Highlights of the 2015 academic year and projections for 2016;
(ii) NSFAS funding plans for 2016; and
(iii) Role of the SRCs in stabilising the 2016 registration processes and the normalisation of the university environment for teaching and learning.
2. Delegation list
2.1. Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training
Ms YN Phosa (ANC) Chairperson, Mr D Kekana (ANC) Whip, Ms M Nkadimeng (ANC), Mr E Siwela (ANC), Ms S Mchunu (ANC) and Prof B Bozzoli (DA).
2.2 Parliamentary support staff
Ms M Modiba: Content Adviser, Mr L Komle: Content Adviser for Select Committee on Education and Training and Mr D Arendse: Committee Assistant.
3. Proceedings of the Round-Table discussion
The proceedings of the Round-Table discussion were structured in a plenary and a question and answer format.
3.1. Opening remarks by Ms Y Phosa: Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training
In her opening remarks, Ms Phosa noted that the country had witnessed a wave of student protests in the public institutions of higher learning, and what happened was unusual and historic. However, the protests also impacted on the whole educational landscape, sending a message to all that students were prepared to shape the future of the country. She mentioned that the students raised legitimate issues such as the costly university fees, the need for Fee-Free education for the poor and working class and the issue of outsourcing of universities services.
Ms Phosa cautioned the student leadership from various universities that violence at universities or anywhere was not acceptable as a means of resolving issues, and further stressed that the destruction of property was unacceptable. She alluded to the need to inculcate a culture of stakeholder consultation as a means to resolve issues, especially when dealing with university fees, outsourcing or any other related issues.
She reminded the meeting that the Department gave attention to the issues raised by the students working in consultation with the National Treasury, universities and the Presidential Task Team appointed to investigate short-term solutions to the challenge of student funding. She noted that the Committee invited the student leadership to consult with it, and to hear their views on the writing of the 2015 outstanding examinations, normalisation and creation of a conducive and enabling environment for teaching and learning, and to find consensus and a way forward to students’ challenges.
3.2. The purpose of the meeting by Mr Kekana: ANC Whip of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training
Mr Kekana noted that the Committee invited the student leadership to a Round-Table discussion because they were an important governance structure as stipulated in the Higher Education Act to represent the interests of students. He mentioned that the country witnessed the unfolding of unfortunate events after the #FeesMustFall campaign. Students in some universities did not want to return to classes and write examinations, despite a pronouncement by the President that the university fees would not increase in 2016. He also stressed that there was a process underway to find a sustainable method of funding higher education sector adequately and to implement Fee-Free Higher Education for the poor.
Mr Kekana noted that the purpose of the meeting was to engage with the student leadership from various universities to find progressive ways of protecting the academic enterprise so that the sector could peaceful and productive in 2016.
3.3. Overview by Dr B Nzimande: Minister of Higher Education and Training
The Minister welcomed the effort of the Committee by inviting students to a Round-Table discussion and to get first-hand information on students’ challenges in higher education institutions. He noted that he would be having a meeting with the SRCs on 19 January 2016 to discuss further the issues affecting students. The Minister reported that he was scheduled to have a meeting with the Department’s senior management to receive a preliminary report on the implications of the zero percent fee increment in universities for 2016.
He urged the student leaders to protect the examinations that were to be written so that every student could have an opportunity to write and succeed in higher education.
The Minister explained that South Africa did not have a diverse post-school education and training sector, and this resulted in only 30 percent of the students who wrote the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations gaining access to universities and some to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges. He said that 3.8 million young people were neither in education, employment nor training (NEET), as revealed by the Census 2011 statistical report, and the number had since increased.
The Minister explained that besides engineers, the country’s economy required artisans which could be produced mostly by the TVET colleges. He alluded that the system was such that for every one university engineer, it required four engineer-technicians and 20 artisans. The Minister acknowledged that higher education was not adequately funded and required a substantial injection of funds. However, the funding for the post-school education and training sector could not be allocated to universities only. 83 percent of the university professoriate was white and there was an urgent need to fund training of young black and women academics. This would also require funding, in order to achieve the demographic equity and the desired level of transformation in the sector.
The Minister stressed that protests could not be used as a substitute for engagement. There was a thorough engagement at the 2nd National Higher Education Transformation Summit held on 15 -17 October 2015 in Durban, and there were important resolutions that emanated from the engagements which should be implemented. There were some movements and groupings at the universities who wanted to delegitimise the democratically elected student leadership structures.
The Minister indicated that work was underway to find strategies of funding the post-school education and training sector adequately. He noted that the NSFAS Means Test was outdated and needed to be reviewed, and the government policy on Free-Fee Higher Education would only apply to the poor for the first undergraduate degree. Those who could afford university fees should pay for their children’s education. He noted that there was a funding shortfall to cater for the students who were enrolled in the Bachelor of Technology (B-Tech) programme, which was regarded as a second qualification in Universities of Technology. However, the NSFAS funded the B-Tech programmes only in scarce and critical skills areas.
3.4. Briefing by Mr M Daca: Chief Executive Officer, National Student Financial Aid Scheme
In his presentation on funding readiness for 2016, Mr Daca highlighted that there were unprecedented levels of student unrest at university campuses in 2015. He noted that the unrest resulted in disruption and postponement of examinations at some universities, and this would create an academic roll-over of funds for 2015 to the 2016 academic year, which was likely to impact on the registrations. The NSFAS had contingency plans to deal with the anticipated challenges and would work closely with the affected institutions to ensure confirmation of students upon the release of results for outstanding examinations.
The CEO said that the Student-Centred Model would be expanded to 12 TVET colleges in 2016. The Department would announce the 2016 allocations to universities and colleges before the end of December 2015. The NSFAS would make available an amount of R1.2 billion for upfront payments to universities and TVET colleges for the first quarter of the 2016 academic year. This was to ensure that universities and colleges did not blame lack of cash flow as a reason not to allocate students allowances. With regard to other funding initiatives, the Presidential Task Team appointed to investigate and make recommendations on the short-term student funding challenges in universities would submit its report before the end of December 2015. The NSFAS was refocusing on loan recoveries and fundraising initiatives to increase the pool of funding from the private sector. The NSFAS aimed to increase loan recoveries to R500-600 million in 12-18 months period, and the award per student would increase from R67 000 per annum in 2015 to R72 000 in 2016.
From January until March 2016, the NSFAS would conduct campus visits across the nine provinces. The CEO emphasised that the student leadership had an important role to play by constructively participating in institutional Financial Aid Committees, to progressively engage the NSFAS on student landscape developments, to understand the NSFAS processes and assist in educating fellow students and to communicate decisions to fellow students timeously and accurately.
He noted that the NSFAS was funding a new policy for students with disabilities to include human support and assistive devices and the policy would be extended to TVET College students.
4. Observations
The Committee made the following observations during the discussion.
4.1. Key issues from the Minister’s overview and the Department
4.1.1. The Minister apologised unconditionally for the unfortunate #StudentsMustFall joke he had made, as demanded by the students.
4.1.2. The Minister committed to increasing the number of engagements with student leadership and political organisation to more than two per annum where possible.
4.1.3. Students demanded that the communication on the outcomes of the Presidential Task Team and the meeting on the 19 January 2016 with the Minister be brought forward before the registration period began.
4.1.4. Students requested the Minister to look into the issue of university reserves and how they could be utilised to fund needy students. The Minister committed on sharing a report on the Department’s analysis of the university’s reserves in the meeting on 19 January 2016.
4.1.5. Students requested the Ministry to provide an action plan /roadmap/model with timelines towards the realisation of Free Quality Higher Education in their life time.
4.1.6. Students wanted to know what the Department’s plans were to develop and implement a framework / model to regulate the costs of higher education and fee increments which were above the inflation rate.
4.1.7. Parliament should instruct the Department to review the NSFAS Act to cater for the Post- Graduate Funding and also to ensure that the reviewed policy would be funded.
4.1.8. There were internal institutional arrangements to deal with issues of registrations in 2016.
4.1.9. The funds to offset the zero percent fee increase would be allocated to the institutions in two tranches, starting in January and March 2016.
4.1.10. The NSFAS student debt was approximately R2 billion.
5.2. Key issues raised from NSFAS Presentation
5.2.1. Students welcomed the NSFAS funding readiness for 2016, in particular, the allocation of upfront payments to institutions in January, however, they urged the NSFAS to monitor the payment of allowances to students, and to ensure that the NSFAS beneficiaries were not paying registration or upfront fees as well as addressing the practices of top-slicing. Furthermore, the NSFAS should ensure that there were no students who signed the NSFAS loan agreement forms, but were not allocated funding, or received less than what they had signed for, which was in contravention of the agreement.
5.2.2. NSFAS should communicate the 2016 allocation projections to universities timeously.
5.2.3. The Department and NSFAS should take over the student debt accumulated as a result of the NSFAS funding shortfall, so that students could receive their certificates and results. One of the terms of reference of the Presidential Task Team was to look into the issue of historic debt.
5.2.4. Delays in the turnaround time for the reallocation of unclaimed funds between the universities and NSFAS should be addressed.
5.2.5. A once-off application should be extended to institutions which were not yet on the Student Centred Model.
5.3. Key issues raised by the student leadership on their role in stabilising the 2016 registration processes and the normalisation of the university environment for teaching and learning
5.3.1. Students could not commit on taking responsibility to stabilise the system for the 2016 registration period and general teaching and learning, if fellow students would be academically and financially excluded. They were resolute in stating that it was the responsibility of the State and the Ministry to adequately fund the system through subsidies, NSFAS and to ultimately implement Free Quality Higher Education. They vowed that the students with money to register would be blocked from registering if other students who were financially needy, including the missing middle (students whose parents earn above the NSFAS threshold of R122 000 per annum) were not allowed to register.
5.3.2. All the student leadership condemned the violence and destruction of university’s properties as it was not progressive. They further condemned the anarchy of those who continued to participate in protest action even though their demands had been met by universities.
5.3.3. They urged the universities’ management to desist from using court interdicts to prevent students from exercising their right to protest, and this triggered students to retaliate by violence.
5.3.4. They urged the universities’ management to desist from engaging with illegitimate movements within universities, which resulted in delegitimising the democratically elected structures.
5.3.5. They noted the institutional inconsistencies (2016 payment and non-payment of registration fees, outsourcing of universities services like residences, writing-off of student debts, issuing of outstanding certificates and results to indebted students) which could flare further protests action if not addressed.
5.3.6. Student leadership demanded an end to outsourcing at universities.
5.3.7. Student leadership of the University of Fort Hare requested that a delegation constituted by the Department and NSFAS should come to the University before the commencement of the registration period, to engage with the management on student challenges relating to NSFAS and outsourcing of residences.
6. Conclusion
The Round-Table discussion offered all stakeholders an opportunity to engage on issues affecting the students, in particularly on the issue of funding to facilitate increased access to and success in higher education. Students were provided with a platform to share their challenges and concerns with the Minister of Higher Education and Training, the Portfolio Committee and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. Their challenges included among other things, the NSFAS funding shortfall which resulted in underfunding of students and financial exclusion of students who were eligible for funding but were unfunded, student debt, NSFAS not catering for the post-graduate students studies and the top-slicing that was being implemented at some universities.
Students demanded that outsourcing should be abolished in all universities and the government should develop a roadmap / model towards implementation of free quality higher education for the poor. Student leadership could not commit on whether they would participate in protests action in the 2016 academic year. However, they indicated that, it was dependent on the government to play its part in funding the higher education sector adequately, to ensure that all the poor students and the “missing middle” registered in 2016 and all other related issued raised were addressed.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) also presented its funding readiness for 2016. The key issues emanating from the presentation were: the plan to deal with anticipated challenges resulting from disruption and postponement of 2015 examinations in some universities, allocation of upfront payments to universities and TVET Colleges amounting to R1.2 billion to ensure that students who were NSFAS beneficiaries did not pay registration fees and were allocated book, meal and accommodation allowances in January 2016. The NSFAS would also conduct institutional visits starting January and March 2016.
The Minister and Department noted that some of the issues raised by the students were contained in the scope of the Presidential Task Team and they could not pronounce prematurely. The Presidential Task Team would explore solutions to short and long term student funding challenges and other related issues. It would be proper for students to allow the Presidential Task Team time to complete its work and present the findings to the entire nation.
7. Recommendations
The Committee recommends as follows:
7.1. The student leadership should allow the work that was underway by the Presidential Task Team to address the issues raised to be finalised and communicated.
7.2. The outcomes of the Presidential Task Team should be communicated to the universities and students as soon as they become available, preferably before the commencement of the registration period.
7.3. NSFAS should regularly monitor institutions of higher learning to ensure that they adhered to the non-payment of registration fees by the NSFAS beneficiaries. Furthermore, NSFAS should ensure that institutions adhered to the timeframes for the submissions of claim forms to ensure timeous transfer of funds to universities, and subsequently the timeous payment of allowances.
7.4. The Department and NSFAS should mobilise new funding from the National Treasury to fund post-graduate studies for academically deserving but poor students, as well as the review of the NSFAS policy to cater for B-Tech studies as it was equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree.
7.5. NSFAS should present a detailed progress report to the Committee on how it addressed the concerns raised by the students in the Round-Table discussion.
7.6. The Department should submit a detailed report on the student historic debts to the Committee.
7.7. The Minister should hold a meeting with the student leadership at an earlier date than the planned 19 January 2016. Furthermore, the Minister should increase the frequency of the meetings with the student leadership to address their challenges before they flare the protests.
7.8. Universities’ management should open lines of communication with student leadership to ensure timeous response to student grievances in order to prevent protests which led to loss of tuition time, and at times, damage to property.
Report to be considered.
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