JOHANNESBURG – The Presidency has announced that government will introduce fully-funded free higher education for students from poor and working-class homes.

This will affect ninety percent of South African households.

The programme will begin next year and be phased in over the next five years

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Eligible students will be funded through grants, not loans.

The grants will include the full cost of tuition, study materials, meals, accommodation and transport.

There will also be no fee increases for students from households earning up to R600,000 a year during the 2018 academic year.

Reuters