Zuma announces free education for poor students
Updated | By Sinethemba Madolo
President Jacob Zuma has announced that government will subsidise free higher education for poor and working class students.

In a statement released on Saturday, the president said the government will increase subsidies to universities from 0.68% to 1% of the GDP over the next five years as recommended by the fees commission.
The presidency also announced that the provision of free education will be extended to all "current and future poor and working class students' at all public Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges starting in 2018 and phased-in over a period of five years.
"All poor and working class South African students enrolled at public TVET Colleges will be funded through grants not loans.”
The presidency said the full cost for TVET colleges "will include tuition fee, prescribed study material, meals, accommodation and/or transport."
The presidency also announced that here will be no tuition fee increment for students from households earning up to R600 000 a year during the 2018 academic year.
ALSO READ: Fees Commission report finally released, no money for free higher education
First year students who have a maximum combined family income of R350 000 per annum will be able to apply for NSFAS bursaries. This is an increase from the original R122 000 family income per annum cap.
The new cap will cover 2018 first year students, as well as students that are already studying.
In the NSFAS packages already allocated to existing NSFAS students will be converted from loans to 100% grants effective immediately.
Policy intervention will enable government to extend fully subsidised free higher education to youth from well over 90% of South African households.
Gwebinkundla Qonde, Director General at the Department of Higher Education and Training, said the increase in will cover approximately 40 % of students who come poor backgrounds.
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