A growing proportion of South Africas soaring student debt to universities is unlikely to be recovered, jeopardising the financial viability of the sector, parliament heard on Wednesday.
South Africas 26 universities were owed R24bn by end-2024, of which 64 R15.3bn was impaired debt. In 2022, bad debt R11.3bn constituted 60 of the total R18.8bn owed by students, according to the department of higher education training.
Student debt is not only a student-support issue it directly affects the reliability of a major income stream and the cash that institutions can realistically collect, said the departments deputy director-general for universities, Thandi Lewin.
