While the government finally ruled out full fee deregulation in its 2016 budget, it is still contemplating uncapping fees for some degree courses. Here’s what else is being discussed.
What should government and students contribute towards university degrees?
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Young people are pressured into university and many end up in unsuitable courses. We need to recognise these realities and be clear about the purpose of higher education so it doesn’t lose its value.
Dr Blade Nzimande, South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education and Training, oversees a sector fraught with funding worries.
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If higher education is made “free” for all, the whole society ends up paying more. That’s deeply unjust in already unequal societies, such as those in Africa.
Students have been steadfast in their demands of universities and the South African government. But what might the unintended consequences be?
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It shouldn’t be up to universities or the government alone to fund students who qualify for tertiary education but can’t afford it. A perpetual bond system could be the answer.
What are the alternative options for higher education to flourish in Australia?
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A crisis of sustainability is building up as universities continue to drift towards a more privatised system. It’s time we started looking at alternative options.
Is university all about being job-ready?
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Universities are cutting and streamlining their courses in an attempt to make graduates more employable. But lots of graduates are still struggling to find work, so why isn’t it working?
Research, rather than teaching, benefits from the revenue gained from increasing student numbers.
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The decline in government investment in higher education and the ever-increasing reliance on fees has made universities more like private for-profit corporations.
Anything wrong with unis spending tuition-fee money on research?
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A lack of government guidance on how student tuition fees should be used by universities is resulting in money for teaching being spent on research instead.
Protesting students make their way through South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria.
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Don’t let the name fool you: the #feesmustfall protests at South Africa’s universities are about far more than a single issue. A student who has been deeply involved in the protests explains.
The fight for lower or no university fees should be taken beyond campuses to places where South Africa’s financial elite rule.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
The next step in South African students’ fight against high university fees could be taken beyond campuses. The final battle will be fought at the country’s National Treasury and Reserve Bank.
A student at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand sums up the motive for ongoing campus protests.
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South Africa’s higher education sector is dramatically underfunded. Polite conversations between vice-chancellors and the government have failed. It’s time the voices of student activists was heard.
Open door.
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The higher education sector needs to think what it can offer to the average taxpayer.
Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, seen here with the Anglo Australian Telescope at Sidings Springs, is known to have a deep interest in science. So what should expect now the word science is added to his ministerial title?
AAP/Alan Porritt
“What’s in a name?” was essentially the Australian government’s response when concerns were first expressed about dropping “Science” from the ministerial portfolio titles back in 2013. That same response…
Regional universities need to be able to compete on more than just price.
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At one level, it is heartening that there is so much attention placed on regional universities in all the heat of debate surrounding the deregulation of higher education. We have ministerial assurances…