Date: 09/12/2002
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Asmal: Transformation & reconstruction of higher education system
STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, PROFESSOR KADER ASMAL, ON THE TRANSFORMATION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM, Pretoria, 9 December 2002
On Wednesday last week (4 December 2002), the Cabinet approved the final proposals for the restructuring of the institutional landscape of the higher education system.
This is the beginning of a new era for higher education in South Africa. We can now focus, not only on the implementation of the new institutional framework, but also on the other vital elements of the National Plan for Higher Education which have to date been somewhat lost in the debates on mergers.
We intend to expand our "Values in Education" programme to universities, so that all students feel comfortable in whichever institution they decide to attend; human resource development must provide the necessary skills for the knowledge economy and ensure that staff profiles begin to reflect the race and gender balance of our country; language policies in higher education, especially in relation to indigenous languages, will be explored; there will be a greater emphasis on research; duplication of certain programmes within regions will be eliminated; and all provinces will in future boast at least one institution of higher learning.
Taken as a whole, the transformation and reconstruction proposals will foster the growth and rejuvenation of higher education, especially in parts of the country, which have been poorly served in the past.
We must all work together on these exciting new developments, which are intended to transform the higher education scene and provide the basis for the advancement of learning and knowledge in our country.
Even before the first democratic government took office in 1994, the African National Congress had laid down guidelines for education in this country. The process began under my predecessor, and in recent years greatly intensified. After over three years of debate, we took the resulting proposals to the Cabinet, and a three-month period was then allowed for public representation on the proposals for the transformation and restructuring of the institutional landscape of higher education, which were originally tabled in the Cabinet in May of this year. In total, 71 submissions were received. In addition to considering the written submissions, I have met with the councils of almost all of the affected institutions.
I am pleased to report a significant shift in institutional responses to the mergers. The majority of our higher education institutions now accept our proposals.
I have received numerous public representations on the proposals, for which I must thank all those who submitted them. I have also given due consideration to the concerns of the Council for Higher Education (CHE), the statutory body established by the Higher Education Act, that there ought to be adequate capacity, both systemic and institutional, for the implementation of the restructuring proposals to be successful and that resources must be made available to finance the mergers.
My Department is establishing a Merger Unit within the Higher Education Branch, the details of which will be provided to the affected institutions in the new year. The Department has already augmented capacity within the Higher Education Branch, which will be further enhanced.
The Department has also investigated the availability of necessary financial resources to facilitate the mergers. As signalled in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement of the Minister of Finance, the Government is committed to providing the financial resources necessary to facilitate the mergers and to ensure the stability and sustainability of institutions, including funds required to re-capitalise institutions that currently do not have an adequate asset base to cover their liabilities.
My Ministry, in its submission to the Cabinet, recommended to the Government that all the mergers decided upon by the Cabinet in May should be confirmed with two exceptions.
The first is the proposed merger of the University of the North, the University of Venda and MEDUNSA. In this instance, the Ministry has agreed with the Council on Higher Education that while the merger between the University of the North and Medunsa should take place, the University of Venda should be retained with a new focus as a comprehensive institution offering technikon-type programmes, as well as a range of relevant university-type programmes.
The other exception is the proposed merger of Border Technikon, Eastern Cape Technikon and the University of the Transkei (Unitra) to establish a new technikon. The Ministry believes that the interests of the region would be best served if a comprehensive institution were to be established. Thus, it is proposed that the three institutions, including the Unitra medical school, should be merged to form a comprehensive institution that will largely offer technikon-type programmes as well as relevant university-type programmes.
The Ministry is convinced that comprehensive institutions represent a creative contribution to the restructuring of higher education. This new organisational form will result in the integration of academic and vocational programmes offered across the full qualification spectrum, allowing increased student access and mobility.
I am pleased to report that the Cabinet approved all of the proposals of the Ministry. The following mergers/incorporations will therefore be implemented:
* University of Natal / University of Durban-Westville
* Potchefstroom University/ University of the North-West
* Technikon Pretoria/ Technikon Northern Gauteng/ Technikon North-West
* Fort Hare/ East London Campus of Rhodes University
* The incorporation of the Vista campuses into the appropriate universities and technikons
* University of Port Elizabeth/ Port Elizabeth Technikon
* University of the North/ Medunsa
* University of the Transkei/ Border Technikon/ Eastern Cape Technikon
* RAU/ Technikon Witwatersrand
* Cape Technikon/ Peninsula Technikon
It is anticipated that the first group of mergers will take place in January 2004 and the second group in 2005. This will give the affected institutions and the Ministry a minimum of one year for the preparations. The Department will enter into discussions with the institutions in the New Year to determine the timing of each of the mergers within this framework.
I also want to remind you that the merger of ML Sultan Technikon and Technikon Natal into the Durban Institute of Technology took place this April of this year. The incorporation of the Qwa Qwa branch of the University of the North into the University of the Free State will take effect on 1 January 2003. Processes have begun to implement the Unisa, Technikon South Africa and VUDEC merger, this is intended to offer improved distance education facilities, more accessible to those who make use of it. The incorporation of individual Vista campuses into larger universities and technikons will lay the foundation for the establishment of vibrant higher education provision in areas such as the East Rand and Soweto.
In addition to the mergers, the establishment of National Institutions for Higher Education in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape will proceed. This will allow for the coordinated provision of higher education in regions of the country where there is no university or technikon. Similarly, the rejuvenation of the Universities of Venda and Zululand as comprehensive institutions should bring new opportunities to the communities served by these universities.
It must be reiterated that the merger decisions should not be seen in isolation, but in conjunction with the other policy goals and objectives of the National Plan for Higher Education. They are part and parcel of wider efforts for transformation and the provision of increased and broadened access to higher education.
Resources have been set aside for the establishment of a National Higher Education Information and Applications Service. This will have a number of benefits, including providing information on the available pool of applicants, satisfying the information needs of applicants on available study opportunities, providing careers guidance and information, as well as enabling the Government to monitor progress in achieving race and gender access.
Once the Service is implemented it will mean that, for the first time, all Grade 12 learners, wherever in urban or rural areas, will have readily accessible information on opportunities in higher education.
The report of the Working Group appointed to investigate the development of an appropriate model for establishing a National Higher Education Information and Applications Service has already been released for public comment.
The process of rationalising academic programmes and faculties' rationalisation is under way, and institutions have been asked to submit proposals for the elimination of duplicate programmes on a regional basis in key areas such as mining, the health sciences and languages. This will include the establishment of a single dental school in the Western Cape through the merger of the dental schools of the Universities of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch.
The new funding arrangements will be finalised in 2003.
The Government has also recently adopted a framework for Language Policy in Higher Education, which promotes a multilingual approach for the sector. A task team will be established in order to address the development of South African languages as mediums of instruction at higher education institutions.
I must, before closing, express my deep gratitude to all those who participated in the process and gave us advice, criticisms, and suggestions. In particular, thanks are due to the National Working Group on Higher Education Restructuring, under the chairmanship of Saki Macozoma.
The implementation of the transformation and restructuring agenda poses enormous challenges to the higher education system and to the Ministry. I am confident that through the concerted efforts of the sector and the Government, we can work together to ensure an equitable, sustainable and productive higher education system of high quality that will contribute to the human resource, skills, knowledge and research needs of the country.
All enquiries:
Mola Likhethe on 082 573 0397
Nasima Badsha on 082 898 3391
Issued by Ministry of Education
9 December 2002
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Asmal: Transformation & reconstruction of higher education system
STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, PROFESSOR KADER ASMAL, ON THE TRANSFORMATION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM, Pretoria, 9 December 2002
On Wednesday last week (4 December 2002), the Cabinet approved the final proposals for the restructuring of the institutional landscape of the higher education system.
This is the beginning of a new era for higher education in South Africa. We can now focus, not only on the implementation of the new institutional framework, but also on the other vital elements of the National Plan for Higher Education which have to date been somewhat lost in the debates on mergers.
We intend to expand our "Values in Education" programme to universities, so that all students feel comfortable in whichever institution they decide to attend; human resource development must provide the necessary skills for the knowledge economy and ensure that staff profiles begin to reflect the race and gender balance of our country; language policies in higher education, especially in relation to indigenous languages, will be explored; there will be a greater emphasis on research; duplication of certain programmes within regions will be eliminated; and all provinces will in future boast at least one institution of higher learning.
Taken as a whole, the transformation and reconstruction proposals will foster the growth and rejuvenation of higher education, especially in parts of the country, which have been poorly served in the past.
We must all work together on these exciting new developments, which are intended to transform the higher education scene and provide the basis for the advancement of learning and knowledge in our country.
Even before the first democratic government took office in 1994, the African National Congress had laid down guidelines for education in this country. The process began under my predecessor, and in recent years greatly intensified. After over three years of debate, we took the resulting proposals to the Cabinet, and a three-month period was then allowed for public representation on the proposals for the transformation and restructuring of the institutional landscape of higher education, which were originally tabled in the Cabinet in May of this year. In total, 71 submissions were received. In addition to considering the written submissions, I have met with the councils of almost all of the affected institutions.
I am pleased to report a significant shift in institutional responses to the mergers. The majority of our higher education institutions now accept our proposals.
I have received numerous public representations on the proposals, for which I must thank all those who submitted them. I have also given due consideration to the concerns of the Council for Higher Education (CHE), the statutory body established by the Higher Education Act, that there ought to be adequate capacity, both systemic and institutional, for the implementation of the restructuring proposals to be successful and that resources must be made available to finance the mergers.
My Department is establishing a Merger Unit within the Higher Education Branch, the details of which will be provided to the affected institutions in the new year. The Department has already augmented capacity within the Higher Education Branch, which will be further enhanced.
The Department has also investigated the availability of necessary financial resources to facilitate the mergers. As signalled in the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement of the Minister of Finance, the Government is committed to providing the financial resources necessary to facilitate the mergers and to ensure the stability and sustainability of institutions, including funds required to re-capitalise institutions that currently do not have an adequate asset base to cover their liabilities.
My Ministry, in its submission to the Cabinet, recommended to the Government that all the mergers decided upon by the Cabinet in May should be confirmed with two exceptions.
The first is the proposed merger of the University of the North, the University of Venda and MEDUNSA. In this instance, the Ministry has agreed with the Council on Higher Education that while the merger between the University of the North and Medunsa should take place, the University of Venda should be retained with a new focus as a comprehensive institution offering technikon-type programmes, as well as a range of relevant university-type programmes.
The other exception is the proposed merger of Border Technikon, Eastern Cape Technikon and the University of the Transkei (Unitra) to establish a new technikon. The Ministry believes that the interests of the region would be best served if a comprehensive institution were to be established. Thus, it is proposed that the three institutions, including the Unitra medical school, should be merged to form a comprehensive institution that will largely offer technikon-type programmes as well as relevant university-type programmes.
The Ministry is convinced that comprehensive institutions represent a creative contribution to the restructuring of higher education. This new organisational form will result in the integration of academic and vocational programmes offered across the full qualification spectrum, allowing increased student access and mobility.
I am pleased to report that the Cabinet approved all of the proposals of the Ministry. The following mergers/incorporations will therefore be implemented:
* University of Natal / University of Durban-Westville
* Potchefstroom University/ University of the North-West
* Technikon Pretoria/ Technikon Northern Gauteng/ Technikon North-West
* Fort Hare/ East London Campus of Rhodes University
* The incorporation of the Vista campuses into the appropriate universities and technikons
* University of Port Elizabeth/ Port Elizabeth Technikon
* University of the North/ Medunsa
* University of the Transkei/ Border Technikon/ Eastern Cape Technikon
* RAU/ Technikon Witwatersrand
* Cape Technikon/ Peninsula Technikon
It is anticipated that the first group of mergers will take place in January 2004 and the second group in 2005. This will give the affected institutions and the Ministry a minimum of one year for the preparations. The Department will enter into discussions with the institutions in the New Year to determine the timing of each of the mergers within this framework.
I also want to remind you that the merger of ML Sultan Technikon and Technikon Natal into the Durban Institute of Technology took place this April of this year. The incorporation of the Qwa Qwa branch of the University of the North into the University of the Free State will take effect on 1 January 2003. Processes have begun to implement the Unisa, Technikon South Africa and VUDEC merger, this is intended to offer improved distance education facilities, more accessible to those who make use of it. The incorporation of individual Vista campuses into larger universities and technikons will lay the foundation for the establishment of vibrant higher education provision in areas such as the East Rand and Soweto.
In addition to the mergers, the establishment of National Institutions for Higher Education in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape will proceed. This will allow for the coordinated provision of higher education in regions of the country where there is no university or technikon. Similarly, the rejuvenation of the Universities of Venda and Zululand as comprehensive institutions should bring new opportunities to the communities served by these universities.
It must be reiterated that the merger decisions should not be seen in isolation, but in conjunction with the other policy goals and objectives of the National Plan for Higher Education. They are part and parcel of wider efforts for transformation and the provision of increased and broadened access to higher education.
Resources have been set aside for the establishment of a National Higher Education Information and Applications Service. This will have a number of benefits, including providing information on the available pool of applicants, satisfying the information needs of applicants on available study opportunities, providing careers guidance and information, as well as enabling the Government to monitor progress in achieving race and gender access.
Once the Service is implemented it will mean that, for the first time, all Grade 12 learners, wherever in urban or rural areas, will have readily accessible information on opportunities in higher education.
The report of the Working Group appointed to investigate the development of an appropriate model for establishing a National Higher Education Information and Applications Service has already been released for public comment.
The process of rationalising academic programmes and faculties' rationalisation is under way, and institutions have been asked to submit proposals for the elimination of duplicate programmes on a regional basis in key areas such as mining, the health sciences and languages. This will include the establishment of a single dental school in the Western Cape through the merger of the dental schools of the Universities of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch.
The new funding arrangements will be finalised in 2003.
The Government has also recently adopted a framework for Language Policy in Higher Education, which promotes a multilingual approach for the sector. A task team will be established in order to address the development of South African languages as mediums of instruction at higher education institutions.
I must, before closing, express my deep gratitude to all those who participated in the process and gave us advice, criticisms, and suggestions. In particular, thanks are due to the National Working Group on Higher Education Restructuring, under the chairmanship of Saki Macozoma.
The implementation of the transformation and restructuring agenda poses enormous challenges to the higher education system and to the Ministry. I am confident that through the concerted efforts of the sector and the Government, we can work together to ensure an equitable, sustainable and productive higher education system of high quality that will contribute to the human resource, skills, knowledge and research needs of the country.
All enquiries:
Mola Likhethe on 082 573 0397
Nasima Badsha on 082 898 3391
Issued by Ministry of Education
9 December 2002
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
