Issued by Department of Education
29 February
The Minister of Education, Prof Kader Asmal, is pleased to announce that he has a first paper from the Council on Higher Education (CHE) outlining a framework and process for the reconfiguring of the institutional landscape of the higher education system. The memorandum was prepared in response to a request from the Minister at his first meeting with the Council in July 1999.
The Council’s framework provides, in the opinion of the Minister, a sound basis for tackling the urgent task of reconfiguration and restructuring to ensure an affordable, sustainable and high quality higher education system.
The Minister agrees with the Council, which is an advisory body established in 1998, that the reconfiguring of the institutional landscape of the higher education system must be undertaken in the context of the national development agenda and human resource needs. This will require, as the Council’s paper points out, an assessment of the role, mission and capacity of individual institutions in relation to the three core functions of higher education, that is, teaching, research and service. The assessment of individual institutions would form the basis for determining the range and diversity of institutional types and forms, including the number of institutions necessary to ensure a higher education system that is necessary, sustainable and which contributes to social and economic development.
The Minister supports the Council’s proposal to establish a Task Team to develop a detailed framework and strategy for the reconfiguration of the higher education system. The higher education branch of the Department of Education will actively participate in the Task Team as requested by the Council.
The Minister looks forward to receiving the report of the Task Team at the end of June after which the Minister will present his proposals to the Cabinet.
Enquiries: Ahmed Essop, Chief Director, at 082 902 4498
Bheki Khumalo at 082 781 2660 or 012 326 0126