Post-school education policy 'could not have come at better time'

(Image: GCIS)

The white paper‚ compiled from more than 200 responses to Nzimande's green paper on the system‚ sets out a single system that allows movement between the different institution types‚ such as universities and training colleges‚ that by 2030 will have just short of 5-million attending students a year overall.

"This white paper couldn't have come at a better time‚" said Khoza at the release in Pretoria. "The number of youths not in employment‚ education or training appears to be going up."

Research shows 70% of South Africa's youths aged 15-24 are not in education‚ training or employment. This is estimated at 4.3-million people.

Nzimande said the policy sought to "destroy the destruction of the apartheid regime"‚ the vestiges of which were still felt throughout South Africa's whole education system. Its main objective was to meet the needs of South Africa's new democratic society.

The policy‚ approved by the Cabinet on November 20‚ makes further education and training colleges - which it calls technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges - the hub of a massive system designed to accommodate everyone from those with no schooling at all to those doing postdoctoral research. It aims to have 2.4-million students enrolled at the colleges by 2030.

It also introduces to South Africa state-run community colleges‚ aimed at those who do not finish school. These would build on existing public adult learning centres and work with community-owned and private institutions‚ such as church-run training centres‚ as well as link with schemes such as the Expanded Public Works Programme and the Community Works Programme.

Agricultural colleges would fall under the Department of Higher Education and Training(Image: Nick Roux - Attribution: (WT-shared) NJR ZA at wts wikivoyage, via Wikimedia Commons)

Agricultural colleges would be removed from the auspices of the Department of Agriculture‚ Forestry and Fisheries to fall under the Department of Higher Education and Training.

Khoza warned the Department of Higher Education and Training that "more planning and resources" would need to be put into the TVET sector‚ especially "getting the right talent to run the institutions".

The policy announces a complete review of college curricula‚ with the aim of consolidating and streamlining them.

Earlier in the day‚ University of South Africa chancellor Mathews Phosa‚ who welcomed the policy as "a milestone"‚ chided "unethical" TVET college councils for misappropriating and misusing state money. When they did so‚ the results "speak for themselves" as colleges "stumbled to a halt"‚ Phosa said.

Corruption has dogged many of the colleges for years. Phosa said he was "heartened" that Nzimande had introduced mechanisms to monitor their administration.

"We need to be accountable for public money‚" he said.

John Pampallis‚ special adviser to Nzimande‚ said the new policy was necessitated by the creation of the Department of Higher Education and Training in 2009.

A green paper was released two years ago and some of the 200 responses were incorporated into the policy.

"Not everyone will be happy with it now‚" he said. "Some people will be happy with some bits‚ and not with others. That's the nature of these things‚ but I think there's enough for everyone here."