GOVERNMENT will spend R57 billion on free higher education over the next three years, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Wednesday. Tabling the 2018 Budget in Parliament, Minister Gigaba said there was a reallocation in the spending framework.

“The largest reallocation of resources towards government’s priorities was on higher education and training, amounting to additional funding of R57 billion over the medium term.

As a result, this is the fastest-growing spending category, with an annual average growth of 13.7 per cent,” said the minister.

The announcement comes as former President Jacob Zuma in December 2017 announced the introduction of free higher education for the poor.

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On Wednesday, Minister Gigaba said government is proud to implement steps that will lead to guaranteed access to higher education and training for all South Africans who qualify based on merit, not class position.

Government will phase in fee-free higher education and training to students from poor and working-class families.

This means that all new first-year students with a family income below R350 000 per annum at universities and TVET colleges in the 2018 academic year will be funded for the full cost of study. This then will be rolled out in subsequent years until all years of study are covered.

Meanwhile, returning National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) students at university will have their loans for 2018 onwards converted to a bursary.

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“This is an important step forward in breaking the cycle of poverty and confronting youth unemployment, as labour statistics show that unemployment is lowest for tertiary graduates.

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