Date: 07/11/2006
Source: Department of Education
Title: Pandor: Further Education and Training Colleges Bill
Speech by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, MP, introducing the Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges Bill, in the National Assembly, Cape Town
Let me begin, Madam Speaker, by thanking the members of the portfolio committee for the work that they have done with respect to this piece of legislation.
There have been public hearings, committee consultations, engagements with stakeholders and I believe this has been very important in assisting us to draft a Bill that will have a positive impact on the FET sector.
The Bill achieves several important objectives. It sets out a specific statutory framework for colleges. It creates the basis for addressing the current shortage of skills that confronts South Africa. It gives concrete shape to the necessary skills revolution that has to get underway in South Africa.
The Deputy President, Minister Manuel, and Minister Mdladlana have all stressed the importance of FET colleges in meeting government's goal of increasing the pool of skilled and semi-skilled workers.
There is a national shortage of skilled and semi-skilled workers. This shortage has serious consequences for our ability to complete large-scale projects like the Gautrain, and prepare to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The Bill, therefore, has to be understood against this backdrop and in relation to the skills training regime that we have in our country today. There are many institutions that offer training; businesses do their own training, and individuals also play a role.
Generally, none of the providers work in a co-ordinated and coherent fashion. Despite the many excellent efforts skills gaps still remain in our country and trainees fail to secure jobs in sectors that critically need skilled practitioners. We are all doing training but somehow the trainees are not responding to economic demand. So, there is something wrong that we must correct.
About 400 000 students attend FET colleges and 700 000 attend higher education institutions. Given our human resources requirements, and the direction of economic growth in South Africa, the numbers should be different. The number of students should be higher in the colleges.
It is important to point out that the skills revolution that we are setting in motion is not one that is solely concentrated in the FET colleges. The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) initiative has had an important impact on universities, which also have a role to play in the provision of skills.
In the coming period, there can be little doubt that the shape and functions of higher education institutions, and in particular the universities of technology, will be influenced by the maturing FET college sector, with the progressive introduction of responsive and modernised programme offerings.
Several important developments are linked to the passage of this Bill. First, we have developed norms and standards for funding public colleges (they have been published for public comment) and, second, Minister Manuel announced a student loan and bursary scheme in his Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) policy speech last month.
This Bill provides the framework to strengthen responsiveness, co-ordination and quality. In the past six years we have been restructuring the colleges but this process has not been consolidated through a specific college focused law. It is the aim of the Bill to achieve this consolidation.
We have recapitalised and redesigned the college sector. From next year they will be able to offer intermediate and high-level skills to students from the age of 16 to mature adults. They will be able to give effect to our long held idea of providing lifelong learning. Achieving this goal means colleges must be distinct from schools.
It is important to state that the Bill protects educators currently employed in the college sector, which was a major concern that emerged in the public hearings. In the recapitalisation programme R10 000 has been made available for every college lecturer to undergo training in the new programme areas.
The Bill proposes that management staff will be appointed by the MEC, while all other staff will be employed by the college. There has been a great deal of concern about the employment provisions of the Bill. The objections have been taken into account in the parliamentary process, and I again thank Honourable Members for the role that they have played in this regard.
To those who fear that we are deviating from our promise to create different types of focus high schools, I confirm today that this objective remains part of our planning. We will continue to create focus schools, technical schools, schools that focus on technology, drama and other core disciplines. These are part of the plan, but colleges will with the agreement on this Bill be different from schools.
All indicators of economic growth and development point to the fact that we must have more artisans in all the economic sectors in our country. We believe colleges are best placed to teach these skills alongside industry and other partners. So, the time for the college sector has come. Now is the time for employers to look to the college sector for those critical skills they need in the immediate future.
Industry has been very helpful in shaping our curriculum and we thank them for this.
The major development in the college sector in the next three years will be the teaching of new modernised programmes. The new programmes have been developed in consultation with all stakeholders and have won broad national support. These new programmes are grouped into 13 fields and comprise 52 core subjects and many additional specialisations or electives. These have the possibility and flexibility to be extended where necessary.
Honourable Members, a great deal of work has been done to lay the basis for South Africa to develop the human resources we need to support our economy and our development projects.
Issued by: Department of Education
7 November 2006
Source: Department of Education
Title: Pandor: Further Education and Training Colleges Bill
Speech by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, MP, introducing the Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges Bill, in the National Assembly, Cape Town
Let me begin, Madam Speaker, by thanking the members of the portfolio committee for the work that they have done with respect to this piece of legislation.
There have been public hearings, committee consultations, engagements with stakeholders and I believe this has been very important in assisting us to draft a Bill that will have a positive impact on the FET sector.
The Bill achieves several important objectives. It sets out a specific statutory framework for colleges. It creates the basis for addressing the current shortage of skills that confronts South Africa. It gives concrete shape to the necessary skills revolution that has to get underway in South Africa.
The Deputy President, Minister Manuel, and Minister Mdladlana have all stressed the importance of FET colleges in meeting government's goal of increasing the pool of skilled and semi-skilled workers.
There is a national shortage of skilled and semi-skilled workers. This shortage has serious consequences for our ability to complete large-scale projects like the Gautrain, and prepare to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The Bill, therefore, has to be understood against this backdrop and in relation to the skills training regime that we have in our country today. There are many institutions that offer training; businesses do their own training, and individuals also play a role.
Generally, none of the providers work in a co-ordinated and coherent fashion. Despite the many excellent efforts skills gaps still remain in our country and trainees fail to secure jobs in sectors that critically need skilled practitioners. We are all doing training but somehow the trainees are not responding to economic demand. So, there is something wrong that we must correct.
About 400 000 students attend FET colleges and 700 000 attend higher education institutions. Given our human resources requirements, and the direction of economic growth in South Africa, the numbers should be different. The number of students should be higher in the colleges.
It is important to point out that the skills revolution that we are setting in motion is not one that is solely concentrated in the FET colleges. The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) initiative has had an important impact on universities, which also have a role to play in the provision of skills.
In the coming period, there can be little doubt that the shape and functions of higher education institutions, and in particular the universities of technology, will be influenced by the maturing FET college sector, with the progressive introduction of responsive and modernised programme offerings.
Several important developments are linked to the passage of this Bill. First, we have developed norms and standards for funding public colleges (they have been published for public comment) and, second, Minister Manuel announced a student loan and bursary scheme in his Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) policy speech last month.
This Bill provides the framework to strengthen responsiveness, co-ordination and quality. In the past six years we have been restructuring the colleges but this process has not been consolidated through a specific college focused law. It is the aim of the Bill to achieve this consolidation.
We have recapitalised and redesigned the college sector. From next year they will be able to offer intermediate and high-level skills to students from the age of 16 to mature adults. They will be able to give effect to our long held idea of providing lifelong learning. Achieving this goal means colleges must be distinct from schools.
It is important to state that the Bill protects educators currently employed in the college sector, which was a major concern that emerged in the public hearings. In the recapitalisation programme R10 000 has been made available for every college lecturer to undergo training in the new programme areas.
The Bill proposes that management staff will be appointed by the MEC, while all other staff will be employed by the college. There has been a great deal of concern about the employment provisions of the Bill. The objections have been taken into account in the parliamentary process, and I again thank Honourable Members for the role that they have played in this regard.
To those who fear that we are deviating from our promise to create different types of focus high schools, I confirm today that this objective remains part of our planning. We will continue to create focus schools, technical schools, schools that focus on technology, drama and other core disciplines. These are part of the plan, but colleges will with the agreement on this Bill be different from schools.
All indicators of economic growth and development point to the fact that we must have more artisans in all the economic sectors in our country. We believe colleges are best placed to teach these skills alongside industry and other partners. So, the time for the college sector has come. Now is the time for employers to look to the college sector for those critical skills they need in the immediate future.
Industry has been very helpful in shaping our curriculum and we thank them for this.
The major development in the college sector in the next three years will be the teaching of new modernised programmes. The new programmes have been developed in consultation with all stakeholders and have won broad national support. These new programmes are grouped into 13 fields and comprise 52 core subjects and many additional specialisations or electives. These have the possibility and flexibility to be extended where necessary.
Honourable Members, a great deal of work has been done to lay the basis for South Africa to develop the human resources we need to support our economy and our development projects.
Issued by: Department of Education
7 November 2006
Advertisement
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
