Roundup: S. Africa minister outlines measures to tackle insufficient education funding

Amid intensified student protests over fee increases, South African finance minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday announced an additional funding of nine billion rand (about 647 million U.S. dollars) to higher education.

This will go to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) over the period ahead, raising its funding by over 18 percent a year, Gordhan said while delivering the 2016 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) speech in Parliament.

In the February budget announced by Gordhan, the government had earmarked 16 billion rand (about 1.2 billion dollars) to the NSFAS.

In his MTBPS speech, Gordhan also announced over eight billion rand (about 575 million dollars) to meet the costs of fee increases for students from households with annual incomes up to 600,000 rand (about 43,000 dollars).

As Gordhan was speaking, hundreds of students gathered outside Parliament, demanding zero-percent fee increases and urging the government to keep its promise of implementing free education.

The protest turned violent when students clashed with police.

Protesters stoned passing vehicles and police cars. Several people, including passengers in passing vehicles, were reportedly injured.

Police fired stun grenades to disperse the protesters who responded by throwing bricks and stones at police.

Shops on nearby streets were closed and the Cape Town CBD was sealed off by police. The McDonald's opposite Cape Town transport station has had its window smashed.

A heavy contingent of police has been deployed on the streets outside Parliament.

As Gordhan was presenting his budget, MPs were told not to leave the chamber as Parliament was in total lock down.

"In the present phase of our development, financing of education has to be our highest priority," Gordhan said in his speech.

"We are especially mindful of the need to expand access to post-school education opportunities. But this is not enough: our progress rests on improvements in the entire education system," he said.

Public expenditure on post-school education and training has in fact grown considerably faster than other budget allocations in recent years, and this will continue, the minister said.

At the heart of the issue is that access has expanded faster than resources, he said.

"As a result, many students face financial hardships that undermine their ability to succeed academically," Gordhan said.

The government will work with the corporate sector and financial institutions to expand bursaries, loans and work opportunities for students, Gordhan pledged.

"In seeking a balanced, sustainable roadmap for student finance, we appreciate that graduates who go on to earn higher incomes will in due course contribute a share of these gains to the next generation," he said. Endit