Letter: How will varsities manage the free education for all?

#FeesMustFall, really? About a decade ago, I wasn’t sure how I would pay for university with a single parent. All I believed was that I needed to work hard and my faith in God would come through for me. My single mother with little income, whom I am grateful for, gave assistance that would go a long way. She took a loan for registration fees, I got into university. I then applied for bursaries, worked part-time, took loans, paid them off and continued to work hard at my studies. So I continued and survived throughout my student life. This has instilled a certain type of character within me that by God’s grace may take me very far in life.Imagine free university education in South Africa in the midst of economic and political challenges. While the ideal sounds great, who will bear the cost? Let’s break it down:

• How many applications will a typical university receive and how will the universities handle it?
• What will be the criteria of acceptance? And what if your typical students fail in some subjects, will free education still prevail for those students and at whose expense?
• Will students respect free education?
• How will it affect the lecturers?
• How will it affect taxpayers who never had a chance to go to university because of money?
• Why would people who pay their student fees feel obliged to go to your typical university that offers free education to some only and not to them who may have their own struggles? Will this be fair? How will this be dealt with? These are just some of the questions that need to be answered. My view is that free education should be made possible to those who excel academically and in certain sporting activities.

These are the ones who should protest if they can’t afford fees or loans and struggle to get bursaries, etc. Then those who really want an education, but do not excel, should find other means as many have done in the past. The government needs to be honest and practical in its approach about the financial and non-financial implications of free education. Students, on the other hand, should understand the dynamics in which things operate. An ideal to protest for all can be . This should place some pressure on our government especially, and the private sector to make greater amends and move our country forward. I hope we find a solution for all.