The institution announced on Monday that it has no choice but to increase fees for the 2017 academic year.

JOHANNESBURG - Wits University’s student representative council (SRC) says it will begin talks with various parties to discuss a way forward after the university announced an 8% tuition fee hike.

The institution announced on Monday that it has no choice but to increase fees for the 2017 academic year in order to remain financially stable.

WATCH: Feet4Fees a step towards helping students with 2017 fees

Poor and so-called missing middle students are exempt from the increase.

Wits SRC president Kefentse Mkhari says the university’s decision to announced a fee hike at this stage of the year is opportunistic.

“If they were genuinely concerned about these issues then they should be adding to our voice. We would go to the state and require more funding for higher education.”

Mkhari says the SRC was not duly consulted in the process, despite claims by the university that it did so.

“In fact it was as not even a consultation, it was just them telling us reasons for why the fees increased by 8%.”

The university says it will also accommodate the costs of in-sourcing from next year.

(Edited by Shimoney Regter)