Pretoria: Government has convened a meeting with stakeholders in the higher education sector to discuss the impact of the United States of America’s Executive Order to freeze funding for research. Tuesday’s meeting was led by the Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, and Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane, who met with Vice Chancellors of Public Universities with the coordination of Universities South Africa (USAF) and the support of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
According to South African Government News Agency, Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. David Masondo, briefed the meeting on key developments on the 2025 National Budget and proposed allocations to support the higher education sector. The meeting also discussed the social legitimacy of public universities on public discourse for national interests and the importance of international scholars and universities of goodwill partnerships.
The meeting agreed on consolidation and coordination of efforts to address the immediate challenges and medium-term plans for mutual benefit between government and universities. Follow-up engagements will be organised to deal with progress and further actions. The meeting appreciated the engagements with universities as critical stakeholders in addressing challenges facing the country, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) said.