CAPE TOWN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Amid increased doubt over the practicability of free education promised by President Jacob Zuma, the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) on Friday warned against "intentionally planted confusion" over the move.
The ANCYL "would like to make it crystal clear that there is no crisis created as a result of the provision of free education for the poor in institutions of higher learning," the organization said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.
This came after the Finance Ministry acknowledged on Thursday that it was not yet ready to pay the billions of rand needed to fund free tuition.
President Jacob Zuma announced in December that his government would deliver fee free education to students from poor families, starting from 2018.
Critics have voiced doubt over the government's ability to fund free education, particularly at a time when the government faces a revenue shortfall of about 50 billion rand (about 4.8 billion U.S. dollars).
There is confusion not only among universities but also among students qualified for free education about where the money would come from.
"The confusion is intentionally planted and driven in order to undermine the decades of struggle by young people," ANCYL national spokesperson Mlondi Mkhize said.
Free education "is available to all qualifying learners soon to be students, who have applied and have been accepted to institutions of higher learning and have met the entrance requirements for those institutions," said Mkhize.
As the youth wing of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), the ANCYL often speaks on behalf of the ANC.
"Contrary to the doomsayers, doubters and beneficiaries of commodification of education who characterize access to free tertiary education as a cost, the ANCYL is resolute that this is a necessary investment which in a long term will contribute towards economic growth of our country and moving away most of the families from the social welfare programs," Mkhize said.
He described opposition to free education as a ploy to further make young people slaves of commercial banks by drowning them into debt before they even get a chance to shape their future.
In response to calls by the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) for walk-in registrations for poor students who are qualified for free tuition, Mkhize said "it is nothing else but attempt to derail the plans of implementing a free tertiary education without any hindrances."
Universities are bracing for chaos after the EFF threatened to disrupt academic activities if its demand for walk-in registration is not met.
Universities have complained that their enrolment plans and targets for 2018 are already in place, and their resources can only allow them to consider applications lodged online before the end of 2017.
The EFF's attention-seeking behavior at the expense of the children of the poor and working class must be exposed, frowned upon and rejected, Mkhize said.
"The ANCYL calls all its members, supporters and young people in general to defend the gains of democracy and ensure that free tertiary education is implemented without any hindrances," he said.
The ANCYL will continue to wage the struggle for access to higher education which now involves growing the tertiary education sector infrastructure for increased intake of students, said Mkhize.
"We will continue to wage a relentless struggle against institutional autonomy which results into commercialization of education," he added.
