A Critical Evaluation of Political, Economic and Academic Arguments for and Against Fee-Free University Education in South Africa
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COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION o Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. o NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. o ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. How to cite this thesis Surname, Initial(s). (2012). Title of the thesis or dissertation (Doctoral Thesis / Master’s Dissertation). Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/102000/0002 (Accessed: 22 August 2017). A Critical Evaluation of Political, Economic and Academic Arguments for and Against Fee-Free University Education in South Africa Dissertation submitted by: Senzo Msimango (201304491) In fulfilment of the requirements for the degree: Master of Arts in Development Studies Within the Department of: Anthropology and Development Studies Under the faculty of: Humanities University of Johannesburg Supervised by: Dr. Mondli Hlatshwayo Co-Supervised by: Dr. Larry Onyango November 2019 Acknowledgements Thank you to everyone who has assisted me throughout this tough journey. I would have never completed this were it not for the relentless support of Dr. Simphiwe Nojiyeza, Professor Kammila Naidoo, as well as my supervisors Dr. Mondli Hlatshwayo and Dr. Larry Onyango. Thank you to my family, friends and colleagues who constantly reminded me that I have got what it takes, and this is worth all the sweat, tears and sleepless nights. I would also like to express my gratitude to the research participants who dedicated their time to make valuable contributions to this study. iii Abstract Fee-free university education has been a widely contested concept, especially within and across political, economic and academic cohorts, which prompted the study being centred around these factions. The upsurge of student protestors who became collectively known as the Fees Must Fall Movement (FMFM), culminating in October 2015, shone the spotlight on a long-standing crisis which the government had not been satisfactorily addressing. With the government having been pressurised to take action and calm the situation, it was criticised for having merely ‘thrown caution to the wind’. Having implemented the initial phase of the DHET bursary scheme through funds that were redirected from other sectors, an uproar emerged from those who did not believe that funding fee-free university education is a worthy cause. The study interrogates the perspectives of those who strongly believe that fee-free university education should benefit all students, those who feel that it should be limited to a particular group/s of students, as well as those who think that it is unnecessary, unworthy or unaffordable due to the state having more important national areas of priority to address. For the purposes of thoroughly fulfilling its aims and objectives, the study was conducted qualitatively. Semi-structured interviews were used to establish the rationale behind perspectives on fee-free university education and suggestions on how it should and should not be done. The study participants consisted of a wide array of representative stakeholders including, but not limited to: The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Universities South Africa (USAf), and the National Treasury. Based on the research findings, the study argues that there needs to be a vast improvement in building state capacity, increasing stakeholder involvement accountability, and meticulous management of the national fiscus for fee-free education to be sustainable. Lastly, the study acknowledges that fee-free university education is a complex issue which requires mass mobilisation, radical transformation and an increase in the level of political will. Key words: Fee-free university education; Fees Must Fall Movement (FMFM); DHET bursary scheme iv List of acronyms ASGISA - Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa ANC - African National Congress CACH - Central Application Clearing House CET - Community Education and Training Colleges CHE - Council on Higher Education DA - Democratic Alliance DASO - Democratic Alliance Student Organization DoE - Department of Education DHET - Department of Higher Education and Training DUT - Durban University of Technology ECD - Early Childhood Development EFF - Economic Freedom Fighters FMFM - Fees Must Fall Movement GDP - Gross Domestic Product GEAR - Growth, Employment and Redistribution ISFAP - Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme ICL - Income-Contingent Loans IFP - Inkatha Freedom Party ICESCR - International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights IMF - International Monetary Fund NDP - National Development Plan NRF - National Research Foundation v NSF - National Skills Fund NSFAS - National Student Financial Aid Scheme NGP - New Growth Path NGOs - Non-Governmental Organizations PPP - Public-Private Partnership RDP - Reconstruction and Development Programme SETA - Sector Education Training Authorities SSM - Socialist Student Movement SARS - South African Revenue Services SASSA - South African Social Security Agency SASO - South African Student Organization SASCO - South African Student’s Congress SASM - South African Students Movement SAUS - South African Union of Students SOEs - State Owned Enterprises SRC - Student Representative Council SLSJ - Students for Law and Social Justice SDG - Sustainable Development Goal TVET - Technical and Vocational Education and Training TEFSA - Tertiary Education Fund of South Africa TUT - Tshwane University of Technology MK - uMkhonto weSizwe UDM - United Democratic Movement vi UKZN - University of Kwa-Zulu Natal UL - University of Limpopo UMP - University of Mpumalanga UP - University of Pretoria UFS - University of the Free State Wits - University of the Witwatersrand VAT - Value Added Tax YCLSA - Young Communist League of South Africa vii Table of contents Declaration of originality …………………………………………………………….. ii Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………… iii Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………….. iv List of acronyms ……………………………………………………………………….. v Chapter 1: An Introduction to Fee-Free University Education 1.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 1 1.2. Research Background ………………………………………………………... 1 1.3. Problem Statement ……………………………………………………………. 3 1.4. The aims and objectives of the study ……………………………………... 5 1.5. Research questions …………………………………………………………... 5 1.6. Significance of the study …………………………………………………….. 6 1.7. Methodology and demarcation of the study ……………………………… 7 1.8. Format of the study …………………………………………………………… 7 Chapter 2: Reviewing literature on fee-free university education 2.1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 10 2.2. First Position: A scholarly perspective on motivating developmental factors in favour of fee-free university education for all ………………. 10 2.3. A political perspective on motivating developmental factors in favour of fee-free university education for all ………………………… 13 2.4. An economic perspective on motivating developmental factors in favour of fee-free university education for all ………………………… 15 2.5. Second Position: A scholarly perspective on motivating developmen- tal factors in conditional favour of fee-free university education …….. 16 2.6. A political perspective on motivating developmental factors in viii conditional favour of fee-free university education …………………….. 22 2.7. An economic perspective on motivating developmental factors in conditional favour of fee-free university education …………………….. 24 2.8. Third Position: A scholarly perspective on factors that derail fee-free university education ………………………………………………. 25 2.9. An economic perspective on factors that derail fee-free university education …………………………………………………………. 30 2.10. The cost of study and practical financing mechanisms ………………. 33 2.11. Alternative mechanisms suggested by those opposed to fee-free university education ………………………………………………. 39 2.12. Current fee-free university education funding systems ………………. 43 2.13. Possible implications of fee-free university education on the carrying capacity of public universities ………………………………….. 46 2.14. Fee-free university education policy implementation in other countries ……………………………………………………………………….. 47 2.15. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….. 54 Chapter 3: The theoretical framework underpinning the study 3.1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 55 3.2. The Developmental State ……………………………………………………. 55 3.3. The rise of Neoliberalism ……………………………………………………. 56 3.4. Funding university education under the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) ……………………………………… 58 3.5. Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) ………………………. 59 3.6. Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGISA) ……………………………………………………………………...... 62 3.7. The New Growth Path (NGP) ……………………………………………….. 63 ix 3.8. National Development Plan (NDP) …………………………………………. 64 3.9. Trends in government expenditure on university education …………. 67 3.10. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….. 71 Chapter 4: Research Methodology 4.1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 72 4.2. Justifying the chosen methodology ………………………………………. 72 4.3. Research design ……………………………………………………………… 73 4.4. Research philosophy ………………………………………………………... 74 4.5. Research paradigms ………………………………………………………… 75 4.6. Target population and