WATCH: Students must go back to class: ANC NEC
The ANC's National Executive Committee on Monday said the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) goes beyond what is stipulated in the Freedom Charter. That's in response to students around the country calling for fee free education.
The ruling party's Secretary General Gwede Mantashe briefed the media on this weekend's NEC meeting and said the Freedom Charter doesn't say that there shall be free education.
Students at various universities have taken to the streets in protest.
Mantashe said those who can afford to pay for their children's higher education fees must do so.
"The NEC agreed that, given that over 75% of students in universities and colleges will benefit, the government has moved a long way toward achieving fee-free higher education for many that are in need of assistance. We continue to support the principle that those who can afford to pay for higher education, must continue to do so in line with the principles of solidarity and cross-subsidisation," he said.
He said the NEC resolved that all students must go back to their lecture halls.
"We call on all to respect the rights of those students who wish to resume their studies and to identify and isolate those who perpetrate acts of violence and destroy public property. The NEC further asks the police and the criminal justice system to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice," he said.
Mantashe says NSFAS goes beyond what is demanded by the Freedom Charter.
"The NEC believes that the interventions of the ANC-led government give practical expression to the education provisions of the Freedom Charter. In fact, NSFAS goes beyond the Freedom Charter demands in that thousands of poor students are assisted through NSFAS. This funding model advances our goals of addressing inequality and ensuring the poor are not excluded from enjoying the opportunity of accessing higher education.