Speaking at the United Communal Fund fundraising dinner in Durban, Advocate Thuli Madonsela urged businesses to help make tertiary education accessible to the youth of South Africa.
Times Live first reported that the Public Protector pledged R15‚000 to help students who need funding to complete their tertiary education‚ and called on companies to follow her lead in the #feesmustfall campaign.
“As long as there is injustice somewhere‚ sustainable peace cannot be experienced anywhere. Education is important in the delivery of the constitutional dream of the freed potential and improved quality of life of all‚” she said. She also alluded to former president Nelson Mandela who once said education is the great leveller.
“Education is a key component for a country’s progression‚ therefore when we collectively work towards educating our young persons; we actively and jointly contribute to a South Africa we all want to see because young people carry the dreams and hopes of our people.
We ought to take cognisance of the fact that South Africa is a relatively rich country with innovative young minds that can help address today’s problems‚” she said.
Madonsela’s call to SA’s corporate sector comes amidst widespread student protests across the country, following an announcement by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, that government is leaving the decision about 2017 tertiary fee adjustments up to universities, but that they are not allowed to increase fees by more than eight percent.
She encouraged corporate South Africa to start a fund to support students financially amidst #FeesMustFall protests at universities.
In a statement, the public protector’s office said that it would use an already established fund as a starting point – the Corporate Social Initiative Fund that was created for donations that Madonsela has received over the years.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens.
by 