The fees report: An in-depth analysis

The Heher Commission report on higher education and training was submitted to the President and later published after a two-and-a-half-month delay. The report covers university education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET), but excludes Community Education and Training (CET) and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). The commission considered the funding of institutions and students, dividing it into three streams: government receipts, fees, and third-stream income. The report recommends that universities be funded to the extent of 1% of GDP. The funding problem has two components: institutional funding and student funding, with the tuition fee being a crucial nexus between the two. TVET colleges offer qualifications within the further education and training band and higher education level, and their funding has been reduced, with the allocation for 'ministerial programmes' decreasing to 53% in 2017/18. The commission's recommendations for TVET college funding are less clear, but presumably require restoring financing to 80% of the cost of ministerial programmes.