ANCYL wants business to help with fees

The Free State chapter of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) has written to businesses operating in the province to plough back into the community by helping pay fees for poor students studying at local universities.

League provincial chairperson Makalo Mohale said the burden of funding of education could no longer be for the government’s alone to carry.

He said private companies, including banks and construction companies working public infrastructure development programmes and the cash-rich mobile phone operators, should all step up to the plate and assist the government bankroll universities.

“The issue of free education can no longer be the responsibility of government alone, these companies must play ball and we’ve clearly articulated our view in the letters we’ve submitted to them,” said Mohale.
Businesses working with the state such as those benefiting from the government’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment programmes must also come to the party and make contributions of money to be used to fund universities, said Mohale, whose league has backed demands by students for no-fee university education.

“They too must be reminded that without government business, they wouldn’t be where they are now,” said Mohale. “Each of them must pay full fees and related cost for students.”

The ANCYL leader, who has promised protests against and boycotts of businesses that refuse to play ball, said the corporate could not be interested only in extracting profit out of the Free State and its people, while doing or nothing to help develop the local population.

The issue of fees was thrust back into the limelight this week after students at universities across the country erupted in often violent protests against a decision by High Education Minister Blade Nzimande to allow university authorities to hike fees for next year by not more than eight percent.

While Makalo as well as ANCYL national spokesperson Mlondi Mkhize have criticised Nzimande, the minister received important backing from ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said the party fully supports the decision to allow administrators to decide whether or not to ask students to pay more to attend university.

The Free State is home to the University of the Free State and the Cnetral University of Technology plus several Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges. (See Full interview with Mohale on Pg 16.)