Forum on student financial aid

The Institutional Planning Department hosted a breakfast forum in the Senate Room yesterday to discuss national developments in student financial aid, and UCT's response to these.

The discussion was based on an interim report to the Higher Education South Africa task team on student fees by deputy vice-chancellor Professor Martin Hall last year.

The discussion was set against the backdrop of the national Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, calling for fees to be capped. Last year steep fee hikes in several institutions sparked protests in Johannesburg.

Pandor had commissioned Higher Education South Africa, the vice-chancellors' association, to investigate fees, including whether they should be capped or set within parameters.

At the forum, several members said the report had omitted an important constituency: adult, working-class students who want to upgrade their skills.