Johannesburg – Even if the government agrees to provide free university education in response to the #FeesMustFall movement it will not exactly be free if the recommendations of a working group appointed by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande are accepted.

Even the poorest students would be expected to repay some of the costs covered on their behalf by the state once they started earning, though it would be a minimal amount.

A government grant to cover the difference between what they were required to repay and the full cost of their studies would be a “last resort”.

Dropouts would also be expected to repay some of the money and the working group’s report, submitted in 2012, suggests exploring the possibility of assigning a tax number to new students to facilitate a simplified collection system through the SA Revenue Service (Sars).

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