Committee satisfied with post-school education plan

© Brian Jackson – 123RF.com

The committee attended a day-long workshop in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 22 March 2017, where it received a briefing from the Department of Higher Education and Training on the National Plan on Post-School Education.

The plan includes the financial health of universities and grant funding for research and teaching.

September said that it is quite enlightening to see the kind of work the department is doing in the sector and trying to align the university landscape with colleges.

“The plan delves into how the Sector Education and Training Authority landscape could be improved in realising the skills challenges that the country is grappling with. The committee is satisfied with the analysis provided on the financial situation of many of our universities, wherein it had been identified that governance challenges are impacting on finances,” September said.

She added that they need to come up with a way to address funding challenges at many universities’ campuses.

“Funding models that the country comes up with need to be sustainable. They should benefit children from poor households and broaden access to post-school education.”

The committee will this week attend the National Skills Conference in Pretoria, where Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the keynote address.