Parliamentary Media Briefing: Human Resource Development

Co-ordination of skills development

The National Human Resource Development Strategy is being refocussed under the auspices of the Economic Cluster, and the new strategy will be submitted to Cabinet in July this year.

The National Qualifications Framework review was completed in 2007, and the ministers of labour and education issued a joint policy statement.

This week the Department of Education will gazette a National Qualifications Framework Bill for comment, together with amendments to the Higher Education and General and Further Education Acts. The Skills Development Amendment Bill 2008 will soon be available for engagement with the social partners at Nedlac.

The National Qualifications Framework will now consist of three distinct but closely inter-related qualification sub-frameworks under the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) as an apex organisation. These are the Higher Education Qualification Framework, the General and Further Education Qualifications Framework and the Trades and Occupations Qualifications Framework. This underscores the belief that we learn throughout our life, and that this needs a structured framework to support and assist learners wherever they are.

Schools

The year 2008 completes the cycle of curriculum change initiated in 1998. This year students will sit for a new matric exam, with a reduced number of subject offerings. Maths (or Maths Literacy) and Life Orientation are now compulsory subjects. All exams will now be set at a national level, and the results will give us a good measure of the effectiveness of the new curriculum.

The "second chance" programme for students who failed matric in 2007 has had a promising start, with over 100 000 students registering for the supplementary exam in May and June this year. Provincial departments are responsible for ensuring that these students are provided with extra-tuition at various venues, an initiative the national department will support through the electronic and print media.

The number of dinaledi schools has been increased to over 500, and these schools have all been targeted for extra support: 800 additional maths teachers were recruited and have been appointed to these schools, and additional textbooks and other resources have been provided. The private sector has been hugely supportive, and numerous donations and incentives have been provided. The expectation is that these schools will be the key to achieving the target of 50 000 maths passes at the end of year.

Textbooks have been a perennial problem, and the national Department of Education is taking a more interventionist role to ensure every learner has at least the minimum material to study. Building on the success of the recovery plan in 2007, the media based "Study Buddies" will be continued, and a new partnership with Independent Newspapers will see the production of low-cost workbooks for learners in grades 11 and 12. These will be supported by the electronic media (Mindset and the Learning Channel) as well as by web-based IT support and DVD materials.

Bill of Responsibilities and the National School Pledge

A Bill of Responsibilities (attached below) and a national school pledge have been approved for public comment. The school pledge reads as follows:

We the youth of South Africa
Recognising the injustices of our past,
honour those who suffered and sacrificed for justice and freedom.
We will respect and protect the dignity of each person,
and stand up for justice
We sincerely declare that we shall uphold the rights and values of our constitution
and promise to act in accordance with the duties and responsibilities
that flow from these rights.
! KE E: / XARRA / / KE
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika.

Futher education and training (FET) colleges and skills development

In 2007 we had 25 425 students enrolled in the new National Certificate (Vocational) programmes. This year we set an enrolment target of 40 000 students for 2008. We are pleased to record that over 52 000 students have registered for the 3 year programme. It is evident that the quality of the programmes and the outreach to schools has sent very strong signals into the system, and the provision of bursaries for about 20 000 students has assisted them in this.

The Department of Education has identified 18 FET colleges (2 per province) that will be dedicated to training students in ICT skills.

Increasing the number of engineering graduates

Currently, 1,500 BEng and BSc (Engineering) students graduate each year. Both these degrees are four-year qualifications.

In response to the need to increase graduate output, R48 million was allocated to four leading universities, University of Cape Town (UCT), University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and University of Pretoria (UP). These institutions have used these funds to enhance student support and teaching facilities.

During the planning process for 2010, a number of institutions indicated that they would be able to increase their enrolments and graduates in targeted areas, such as engineering.

The National Skills Development Strategy

The second phase of the National Skills Development Strategy 2005 - 2010 completes its third year on 31 March 2008. Increasing numbers of learners register in a variety of learning programmes linked to the national scarce skills list that has been aligned to the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and in particular to the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA).

Since April 2005, when the second phase of the strategy was launched, until the end of the 3rd quarter of this financial year, namely December 2007, a total of 194,913 employed learners and a total of 117 729 unemployed learners in scarce and critical skills have been registered on accredited occupational based learning programmes by sector education and training authorities (SETAs). This is against a target of 125,000 learners for both employed and unemployed learners, showing that the demand for training continues to increase beyond targets set only three years ago.

A gratifying element of this continued acceleration in learner registration is the increase in numbers of artisans being registered by SETAs. Since April 2005, over 13,000 artisan were registered for training, but in the last nine months alone almost 9,000 of these artisan were registered by SETAs with another 9,000 in the process of being registered in this first quarter of 2008. The first quarter of each year has traditionally been the time for large learner enrolments. SETAs also predict another 20,000 artisan learners registering during the 2008/2009 financial year.

We made an announcement last year that R300 million would be set aside for artisan development under the National Skills Fund. The applications for this money have been finalised and funding for another 7 350 artisan learners will be channeled to those SETAs that have shown a genuine commitment to artisan development.

Not all SETA have responded with the enthusiasm or were committed enough to reprioritise some of their committed funding towards artisan training. We are exploring the possibility of extending this facility to other companies, which can demonstrate their financial commitment to artisan training, so that we can match their contribution from the remaining funds. The total uptake on this allocation only amounted to about R 185 million.

These high levels of artisan enrolments by SETAs resulting from the call for reprioritising of funds from JIPSA last year indicates that by 2010 the 50 000 qualified artisan needed by the country as predicated by JIPSA last year is now becoming a reality. The challenge will be to make sure that the quality of artisans who are being trained is the best we can develop.

The review of the SETA system has received considerable comment from a variety of role players. This review process is at an advanced stage within NEDLAC and we will be making an announcement once we have agreed on some of the most fundamental aspects that need to be adjusted within the SETA system.

Social development initiatives that relate to skills development also continues to be addressed through the National Skills Fund in collaboration with the provincial structures of the Department of Labour. Since April 2005 an average of over 9 000 unemployed persons per month have enjoyed skills training in projects across the country, including Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) project funded by the National Skills Fund. On average 66% of those that received training were placed in full time or temporary employment.

A Bill of Reponsibilities fir the youth of South Africa

Preamble

I accept the call to responsibility that comes with the many rights and freedoms that I have been privileged to inherit from the sacrifice and suffering of those who came before me. I appreciate that the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa are inseparable from my duties and responsibilities to others. Therefore I accept that with every right comes a set of responsibilities.

This Bill outlines the responsibilities that flow from each of the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to equality

The right to equality places on me the responsibility to
* treat every person equally and fairly, and
* not discriminate unfairly against anyone on the basis of race, gender, religion, national-, ethnic- or social origin, disability, culture, language, status or appearance.

South Africa is a diverse nation, and equality does not mean uniformity, or that we are all the same. Our country's motto: !KE E: /XARRA //KE, meaning "Diverse people unite", calls on all of us to build a common sense of belonging and national pride, celebrating the very diversity which makes us who we are. It also calls on us to extend our friendship and warmth to all nations and all the peoples of the world in our endeavour to build a better world.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to human dignity

The right to human dignity places on me the responsibility to:
* treat people with reverence, respect and dignity
* be kind, compassionate and sensitive to every human being, including greeting them warmly and speaking to them courteously.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to life

The right to life places on me the responsibility to:
* protect and defend the lives of others
* not endanger the lives of others by carrying dangerous weapons or by acting recklessly or disobeying our rules and laws.
* live a healthy life, by exercising, eating correctly by not smoking, abusing alcohol, or taking drugs, or indulging in irresponsible behaviour that may result in my being infected or infecting others with communicable diseases such as HIV and AIDS.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to family or parental care

This right expects me to:
* honour and respect my parents, and to help them,
* be kind and loyal to my family, to my brothers and sisters, my grandparents and all my relatives.
* recognise that love means long-term commitment, and the responsibility to establish strong and loving families.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to education

The right to education places on me the responsibility to:
* attend school regularly, to learn, and to work hard,
* cooperate respectfully with teachers and fellow learners and
* adhere to the rules and the Code of Conduct of the school.

and concurrently places on my parents and caregivers the responsibility to:
* ensure that I attend school and receive their support

and places on my teachers the responsibility to:

* promote and reflect the culture of learning and teaching in giving effect to this right.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to work

This right carries with it the responsibility for all learners, parents, caregivers and teachers to:
* work hard and do our best in everything we do.
* recognise that living a good and successful life involves hard work, and that anything worthwhile only comes with effort.
* This right must never be used to expose children to child labour. (proposed alternative: prevent children being exposed to child labour).

My responsibility in ensuring the right to freedom and security of the person

The right is upheld by my taking responsibility for:
* not hurting, bullying, or intimidating others, or allowing others to do so, and
* solving any conflict in a peaceful manner.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to own property

The right to own property places on me the responsibility to:
* respect the property of others,
* take pride in and protect both private and public property, and not to take what belongs to others.
* be honest and fair, and for those who have, to give generously to charity and good causes.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to freedom of religion, belief and opinion

The right to freedom of conscience requires me to:
* allow others to choose and practice the religion of their choice, and to hold their own beliefs and opinions, without fear or prejudice.
* respect the beliefs and opinions of others, and their right to express these, even when we may strongly disagree with these beliefs and opinions. That is what it means to be a free democracy.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to live in a safe environment

This right assumes the responsibility to:
* promote sustainable development, and the conservation and preservation of the natural environment.
* protect animal and plant-life, as well as the responsibility to prevent pollution, to not litter, and to ensure that our homes, schools, streets and other public places are kept neat and tidy.
* In the context of climate change, we are also obliged to ensure we do not waste scarce resources like water and electricity.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to citizenship

The right to citizenship expects that each of us will be good and loyal South African citizens. This means that we are responsible for:
* obeying the laws of our country,
* ensuring that others do so as well, and
* contributing in every possible way to making South Africa a great country.

My responsibility in ensuring the right to freedom of expression

The right to free expression is not unlimited, and does not allow us to:
* express views which advocate hatred, or are based on prejudices with regard to race, ethnicity, gender or religion.
* We must therefore take responsibility to ensure this right is not abused by ourselves or others, to not tell or spread lies, and to ensure others are not insulted or have their feelings hurt.

Conclusion

I accept the call of this Bill of Responsibilities, and commit to taking my rightful place as an active, responsible citizen of South Africa. By assuming these responsibilities I will contribute to building the kind of society which will make me proud to be a South African.

The national school pledge

We the youth of South Africa,
recognising the injustices of our past,
honour those who suffered and sacrificed for justice and freedom.
We will respect and protect the dignity of each person,
and stand up for justice.
We sincerely declare that we shall uphold the rights and values of our constitution
and promise to act in accordance with the duties and responsibilities
that flow from these rights.
! KE E: / XARRA / / KE
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika.

Enquiries: Lunga Ngqengelele
Ministerial Spokesperson
Cell: 082 566 0446
Tel: 012 312 5538
E-mail: ngqengelele.l@doe.gov.za

Issued by: Ministry of Education
12/02/2008