Cape Town - From this year onwards, government has announced that it would "incrementally introduce free education at the undergraduate level."
Minister for Basic Education Angie Motshekga told a press briefing in Cape Town earlier today that students in FET colleges, who qualified for financial aid, would be "exempted completely from paying academic fees."
"This ought to further ease access to the colleges for students from poor families, as well as help the country to meet its needs for intermediate and technical skills," said the minister.
Today's briefing followed President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address last week, in which he said that raising the bar in education would be one of the five government priorities this year.
Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, also attended the briefing.
Motshekga said that Nzimande's department had "moved expeditiously to set up mechanisms to remove all barriers to access to post school opportunities by young people..."
The Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme, administered by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, was offering "full cost bursaries" to capable young people interested in teaching priority subjects in rural areas.
"In 2011, the scheme will support approximately 8 500 new and continuing student teachers across all years of study. Approximately 900 bursaries will be available for first time students in 2011," Motshekga said.
The minister said that from this year onwards, practising teachers would be offered "enhancement development opportunities" to improve their knowledge through short courses at universities and other private providers.
