Department of Higher Education and Training minister, Buti Manamela has promised South Africans that he will fix the post-education system that remains ‘fragmented and uneven’.
Opening his media briefing, minister stated that he had met with many stakeholders. These stakeholders include students, lecturers, principals, vice-chancellors, researchers, SETA leaders, labour, employers, civil society, and government partners.
Minister further said “We have engaged with our universities, our TVET and CET colleges, our skill centres, and our communities.” They have voiced their ‘frustrations’, ‘hopes’ and ideas’.
The Minister stated that the system is ‘fragmented and uneven’. As a result, young people are sidelined out of opportunities. They are taught skills that are not economically needed.
The Minister outlined six key objectives that will support work done by the department.
These are six key objectives according to minister:
- Integrate the system into single and coordinated whole
- To expand equitable access to all who can benefit
- To ensure responsiveness to the needs of the economy, labour market, and society
- To raise the quality of provision and learning outcomes
- To improve efficiency, governance and accountability
- To guarantee sustainability in funding, institutional stability and confidence of our people
Minister further outlined five pillars that will support these objectives;
- Economic renewal and jobs that guarantee that graduates are employed and institutions are aligned to growth sectors
- Green just transition that guarantees skills system drive climate resilience and carbon innovation
- Building public sector capacity ensuring state is equipped to serve the people effectively
- Research and innovation that strengthen the intellectual sovereignty and generate solutions from Africa
- Social inclusion ensuring no one is left behind
Furthermore, minister said department will structure their work in three timelines. In three months, NSFAS will be stabilised, and a sustainable funding model will be set in motion. Department will establish the PSET Re-engineering Task Team by bringing together expertise across sectors to guard redesign of the system. Minister said, “we will strengthen SETA oversight , finalise realignment and make sure every SETA delivers measurable value.”
The department will further launch three major strategics:
- Skills to work Transitions that is directed to young people who are not in employment, education or training
- Career choices, now known as Khetha directed at school learners from very age
- And Adult Literacy that is aimed at four million South Africans
Over the next twelve months, department will:
- Pilot autonomous colleges and new CET models
- Review the CET landscape
- Launch TVET curriculum that is “aligned with emerging industries
- Stablish a national PSET database to “improve planning and accountability”
- Start to roll-out of the NASCA
- Finish legislative reviews “addressing gaps”
- Accelerate infrastructure upgrades and guarantee campus safety across system.
Minister further stated that department will over the next four years:
- Fully implement a sustainable student funding model
- Consolidate SETA and CET reform
- Drive digital learning
- Institutionalise career guidance and lifelong learning pathways
- Deepen research and innovation capacity, strengthen partnerships with industry and expand presence on the continent and globally
“To secure the future of our system, we will setup a multi-sectoral task team to review and consolidate three decades of policy and legislative reforms”
Closing his media briefing, minister said, “we have listened. We have understood. Now, we act. We will re-imagine and re-engineer our post-school education, and training system for changing world”. He further said “we will fix what is broken. We will strengthen what works. We will build what is missing”
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