CHAPTER SEVEN

Implementing the Green Paper

The Ministry is well aware that the proposals presented in the Green Paper are ambitious. At the same time, the Constitutional imperative, to ensure the progressive extension of further education to all, and the case for restructuring outlined in previous chapters, make change inescapable and immediate action necessary. This chapter briefly describes the structures and activities that the Department of Education will establish and initiate. Of primary importance is the establishment of a Transformation Steering Committee and four Task Teams focusing on the development of management capacity, information systems, funding, and programmes and qualifications.

1. A strategy for implementation

Transformation of FET will not take place overnight. The challenges are substantial and resources limited. Yet the country faces immediate and pressing needs, for instance in addressing the situation of the marginalised and unemployed. Developing our human resources to meet the demands and opportunities of the future cannot be postponed. The key question accordingly is not whether to begin the process of transformation, but how to begin in the right place.

In beginning to implement such a strategy, it is important, first, to match the capacity of government and the FET system to the roles assigned to them, and second, to begin to build capacity at the system and institutional levels. This implies that implementation of a co-ordinated approach to the transformation of FET will need to take place in phases, as the necessary mechanisms and processes are put in place, and as the necessary capacity is developed.

1.1 Capacity building

Transformation of FET and the implementation of a co-ordinated approach to provision will require the development of capacity at the national, provincial and institutional levels. Key capacity building initiatives will need to be focused on:

• leadership and management development.
• the establishment of management information systems, and
• building the physical infrastructure.

1.1.1 Developing management capacity

Co-ordination and planning, as well as the need to promote flexibility and responsiveness, will place new demands upon FET leadership and management at the national, provincial and institutional levels. Targeted initiatives will be needed to:

• provide high-level, effective leadership and management capacity within the DoE
• build policy development, information analysis and managerial capacity in the provincial Departments of Education
• develop leadership, financial management and strategic planning skills at the level of institutional leadership, especially in the FET college sector which has a new and challenging role to play in the transformed FET system, and
• build the capacity of school governing bodies and college councils to provide direction, oversee institutional management, and apply relevant skills and insights to the shaping of institutional missions and implementation plans.

The private sector, aid agencies, NGOs and other organisations will have an important role to play in supporting these efforts to adapt to new challenges and opportunities.

1.1.2 Developing information systems

The new FET system proposed in this Green Paper will require the development of management, planning and information systems at the national, provincial and institutional levels. It will be an important task of the NBFET to advise on the design of these systems, and a key task of the DoE to guide their development.

1.1.3 Developing the infrastructure

In addition to building leadership and management capacity, and developing effective information and administrative systems, attention will need to be given to enhancing the physical infrastructure, in particular, as regards the availability of up-to-date, networked information technologies. Links will need to be established between the DoE and the DoL information systems and with the management information systems of FET colleges. Attention will also need to be given to sharing, upgrading and modernising equipment and physical plant.

1.1.4 Phased implementation

The Ministry believes that the establishment of a national policy framework for the transformation and development of FET is a pressing national concern. At the same time, it recognises that the introduction of a new planning, regulatory, funding and curriculum framework needs to occur in a responsible manner, bearing in mind the limited institutional and systemic capacities and resource constraints that characterise the present state of development. Accordingly, the Ministry will show flexibility in the way in which it introduces a co-ordinated national system. The Ministry envisages that the full introduction of the new system will take place over a five- to ten-year period.

2. Time frames for change

2.1 Restructuring of the FET system will entail two time frames. First, processes that will lead to the White Paper and new Further Education and Training Act. Second, a number of activities, which can begin now and may continue after the promulgation of the FET Act, will be initiated in parallel with the legislative process.

2.2 Specific actions which the Ministry will undertake without delay include:

• the establishment of four Task Teams on management capacity development, information systems, funding, and programmes and qualifications
• the establishment of a Transformation Steering Committee for FET
• the encouragement of stakeholder initiatives, and
• the piloting of new planning and funding approaches.

3. Task Teams

The Ministry proposes to establish four Task Teams to begin to lay the groundwork for transformation. The Task Teams will include representatives of the national and provincial Departments of Education, the social partners and stakeholders, and individuals from outside the Departments of Education who have relevant expertise and experience.

A capacity audit, which will be conducted by the DoE and which is currently in the planning stages, will provide valuable baseline data and information for the transformation process.

3.1 Task Team on management capacity development

Implementation of the new governance, planning and funding frameworks requires strengthened management capacity at the national, provincial and institutional levels. The range of developmental tasks, which could be undertaken in collaboration with the new Education Management Development Institute, includes:

• investigating in detail the existing management capacity at the different governing levels and drawing up plans for developing the capacities that are needed to plan, fund and administer the system
• developing and publishing guidelines on financial, human resource development and physical plant management, as well as developing robust management information systems
• organising forums and workshops to enable management at all levels to understand what will be required of it in the new system
• advising the DoE and the provincial Departments of Education on training and staffing needs at all levels of the system
• organising and overseeing professional development activities at the national and provincial levels, and
• devising the necessary processes and criteria for determining the readiness of institutions to assume delegated management and financial authority.

3.2 Task Team on information systems

Tasks to be undertaken in collaboration with the Information Systems and Policy Support Directorates of the DoE will include:

• determining the information to be collected by institutions to enable them to run their operations effectively and to report accurately and timeously to the Departments of Education and the NBFET
• advising on information systems technologies to enable data sharing and comparative analysis across the FET system, and
• liaising with the DoL in the development of a labour market information and analysis system which will inform strategic planning at the various levels of the FET system.

3.3 Task Team on funding

Tasks to be undertaken in collaboration with the DoE and the HEDCOM sub-committee on Finance will include:

• developing detailed funding methodologies and systems
• outlining the transitional arrangements that will lead up to the introduction of the new funding arrangements
• developing a national funding formula which the NBFET will use to advise the Minister
• developing the methods for determining FET programme tariffs
• modelling institutional allocations under the new funding system
• advising on a responsible implementation programme, and
• advising on reporting and accountability requirements.

3.4 Task Team on programmes and qualifications

Tasks to be undertaken will include:

• developing a consistent curriculum and qualification framework for senior secondary school education and FET college education, in line with the principles of the NQF and Curriculum 2005
• identifying the FET programmes which will be eligible for funding
• identifying qualifications and part-qualifications
• specifying curriculum content and incorporating the funding requirements into the programme tariffs
• clarifying the role of FET qualifications in providing access to HE
• liaising with the DoL regarding the implementation of `learnerships' and labour market programmes for the unemployed and employed
• assessing the responsiveness of programmes to the needs of learners, and
• assessing the value of qualifications in the labour market.

4. Transformation Steering Committee

In many areas the Task Teams will need to work closely together to ensure that their separate proposals are coherent and compatible and that they form a comprehensive and practicable package. A Transformation Steering Committee will be established to co-ordinate the efforts of these four Task Teams.

5. Piloting planning and funding

5.1 Introduction of the new planning and funding system will require developmental work, field testing and dry-runs of procedures and funding formulae, and the demonstration of institutional capacity before financial and other powers can be delegated. This will be undertaken over a period of years.

5.2 The Ministry is determined that the new funding system, in particular, will be introduced in a planned and responsible way. New programme-based funding norms need to be developed and tested, and the capacity of institutions to manage their finances must be rigorously assessed. The Ministry foresees that `dry runs' of the funding cycle will precede the implementation of the new system. These will provide opportunities to assess the robustness of the funding formulae, and will enable institutions to develop the necessary internal systems and controls, and managerial capacities, without their having to assume full responsibility for their actual budgets.

5.3 The planning system will be introduced in tandem with the new funding system. Guidelines for institutional strategic planning will be developed by the management Task Team. The DoE, in consultation with the NBFET, will develop initial national objectives and targets, and the provincial Departments of Education will translate these into provincial strategies. Thereafter, one or more planning dry runs will take place, accompanied by `shadow' budgets.

5.4 The delegation of financial and planning authority will be rigorously overseen and monitored by the DoE, in consultation with the NBFET, provincial advisory bodies and the provincial Departments of Education. Each institution will be required to pass an independent professional audit of its management systems and controls and its readiness to receive and manage public funds before it is allowed to assume full operational responsibility.

6. Next steps

6.1 In the second phase of implementation, budgetary authority and strategic planning responsibilities will be progressively delegated as institutions demonstrate the required capacity.

6.2 Not all institutions will be brought into the new system on the same date. At the point when an institution has an approved plan and has passed a financial audit, the provincial Department of Education will formalise via a written agreement the terms and conditions under which the institution may determine its mission and strategic plans and utilise public funds.

7. Implementation of FET transformation

The  following diagram depicts the implementation process in graphic form. 

Department of Education initial implementation plan for FET transformation

What this chapter means in practice

A White Paper together with draft legislation will be produced, following public responses to this Green Paper. It is anticipated that the White Paper and Bill will be released during the current calendar year.

The NBFET will be established by regulations under the National Education Policy Act, 1996.

A Transformation Steering Committee will be established to direct and co-ordinate the activities of four Task Teams. The Task Teams will focus on management capacity development, information systems, funding, programmes and qualifications.

A capacity audit will be undertaken to provide baseline data for the Task Teams.

Stakeholder initiatives involving partnerships and the training of staff will be encouraged.

The groundwork for the phased devolution of governance and management responsibility will be undertaken through pilot initiatives and the implementation of dry runs of the funding cycle and the strategic planning process. 

Appendices

Acronyms and abbreviations

Definition of concepts

The following definitions attempt to clarify concepts which are referred to in this document:

Contents | Chapter1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4
Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Appendicies