#AskDMManamela on Twitter chat

Following the Presidential announcement on 16 December 2017 that government would be phasing in “fully subsidised free higher education and training for poor and working class South Africans” over a five-year period, many questions remain about how this new policy will be implemented and achieved, Mpumalanga News reports.

The Deputy Minister will go live and personally answer questions on his personal Twitter handle @ButiManamela from 2pm until 3pm. Students can use the hashtags #AskDMManamela and #HigherEducation to talk to the Minister.

The deputy minister will also respond to questions on Facebook using his personal account at Buti Manamela.

The deputy minister’s Twitter chat is part of government’s efforts for continued public engagement and educating students on higher education matters.

With several snaking queues of students seeking clarity at higher education institutions this week on the fully subsidised free higher education, the DHET Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize, Deputy Minister Manamela and Director General Gwebs Qonde have also held a series of consultation meetings with stakeholders in the sector.

“The Minister and Deputy Minister also undertook visits and walkabouts at some of the colleges and universities to get first hand experiences on the 2018 academic year currently unfolding at public higher institutions,” said the department.

University vice-chancellors, college principals, student representatives and unions, among others, were also consulted on the implementation roadmap of the new policy

“In order to inform the nation and allay anxieties that may exist, the Deputy Minister will hold an open and direct TwitterChat on Thursday,” said the department in a statement.