4.2 Overview of the role, powers and functions of the Committee Adv I Malale, Chairperson of the Committee, led presentation which highlighted the following key issues: * Chapter 4 of the Constitution gave powers to the Committee to exercise an oversight responsibility over the executive (the Department and its stakeholders) on the utilisation of state resources. The Committee can call upon anyone to appear before it and acts as an intermediary between society and Parliament. * The Committee was extremely concerned with the financial exclusion of poor students in HEIs. Some institutions forced poor students to pay upfront payment before they could register. The Committee opposed any HEIs that continued with this practice. * The withholding of results with the objective of recouping money owed to the institution mostly affected poor students. HEIs should allow all students who have completed their degrees access to their results to enable them to make repayment after obtaining employment. Blacklisting of students owing to non-payment was not good practice. * The abuse of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) voucher system and refunds by students remained a concern for the Committee. * Fee increment by HEIs should be in line with the current interest rate and all structures of the institutions should be properly consulted before matters are concluded by management. * Institutional governance remains a serious concern for many HEIs. HESA should assist HEIs who were unable to manage their affairs accordingly. * There was a need for openness and transparency into the financial statements of HEIs. The Committee would request audited financial statements from all HEIs with a view to scrutinizing them to ensure the proper use of public funds. * The Committee was opposed to academics who conducted business with HEIs with the objective of enriching themselves. HEIs should adopt FET colleges and develop training programmes to capacitate FET college lecturers.