University Fee Hikes On The Cards

University students will be paying more for tuition and residence.

The Higher Education Department is proposing that the country’s 26 universities increase fees for this year by 4.3-percent for tuition and 6.3-percent for accommodation.

But Universities South Africa, the body representing the vice-chancellors in the country, says the increase barely covers the cost of inflation.

“This five-percent increase is essentially is just to cover the CPI-based increase in tuition fees,” said Ahmed Bawa, CEO of Universities South Africa.

“There has been some kind of social compact between the government and the universities over the last three or four years relating to inflation-linked tuition fees.”