Pretoria - A grant allocated by the Department of Education to the University of Pretoria has allowed the institution to reduce the planned 2009 fee increase by at least one percent.
Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the university, Professor Calie Pistorius said the university was pleased with the subsidy grant that the Minister of Education Naledi Pandor allocated to the institution, which led to a 9 percent fee increase instead of 10 percent foreseen last year.
"The university has decided to apply a portion of the grant to reduce the increase in student fees, the 9 percent increase implemented by the university for 2009 is significantly below the current tertiary institution wide inflation rate of between 12 and 13 percent," Prof Pistorius said.
He said the cut in the fee increase comes at a time when the global economic downturn is placing the university under severe financial pressures adding that the situation was exacerbated by the weak exchange rate, which has caused a serious increase in the cost of library books and laboratory equipment.
"The University of Pretoria is sensitive to the financial burden that costs of higher education place on students and their families, particularly in view of the global economic downturn, the university also needs to ensure that its remuneration policies and salary increases are aligned with market demands and inflation," Prof Pistorius said.
He added that the university strived to remove hurdles that may hamper students in attaining their academic aspirations, tuition fees and related costs, which are major factors in this regard.
"Students at the University of Pretoria will also benefit by having access to more than R400 million in various forms of financial aid.
"By cutting back on the increase in student fees and making available significant financial aid, the university is showing its commitment to contributing to efforts aimed at making higher education more affordable and accessible," Prof Pistorius said.
