An attempt by head of state President Jacob Zuma to have a 0% fee increase for 2017’s academic year has been replaced by a vice-chancellors’ demand for an 8% increase, a report has showed on Sunday, City Press reported on Sunday that President Zuma’s bid for a 0% increase has now been replaced by university principals’ demand for an additional 8% increase to their salaries.
The paper said a senior higher education and training department source said Minister Blade Nzimande was on the matter but wanted it to be “capped at 6%”.
“I think the minister must just give in to the 8%,” the source told the Sunday national paper on 4 September.
Zuma had earlier asked for a no fee increase for students in the academic year 2017 and had, according to another report by the paper exactly two week ago, the President had told Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan “to make a provision for additional university funding to accommodate the zero percent increase for 2017”.
But on Sunday senior sources in the national office of the higher education and training department in Pretoria said there was very little difference between Nzimande’s offered 6% to vice-chancellors’ at negotiating table and theirs of 8%, according to the report.
Vice-chancellors therefore agreed this week they will not settle for anything less than 8% when they go negotiate with the employer and fee increases were certain.
(edited by ZK)
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