EDWIN NAIDU
SOUTH Africa is expected to get a new comprehensive student funding model, based on the considerations of a report which will be submit to Cabinet before the end of the year, said Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr Blade Nzimande, in the 2023 Budget Vote in Parliament on Tuesday.
“In relation to student funding, we now are working towards the finalisation of a new Comprehensive Student Funding Model, based on the considerations of this report which we aim to submit to Cabinet before the end of this year,” he said.
“We aim through this also to introduce measures to support all the categories of students including those who are not supported by the current National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding policy,” the Minister added.
He told Parliament that NSFAS is currently funding 1.1 million students with a budget allocation of R47,6 billion in the 2023 academic year. Of this amount, universities have been allocated R38.6 billion and TVET Colleges R8,9 billion for the first time we have passed the 1million mark.
At its inception in 1991, the scheme had a budget of R21.4 million allocated to the first cohort of about 7000 students. In 2023, SASSA beneficiaries account for 49% of the funded students in 2023.
To date, the scheme had improved its student application portal and it has introduced a WhatsApp and USSD functionality to assist students with the tracking of applications for 2023 and to receive responses directly to reduce the reliance on the call center.
The Minister said NSFAS pays for the full cost of study which includes full tuition, accommodation limited to R45 000 per annum, a measure to ensure overreaching by student accommodation service providers was curbed.
It stands to reason, that NSFAS should be involved in the student accommodation space and introduce controls as it spends approximately R14 billion a year on student accommodation.
In this regard, NSFAS has opened its accreditation portal to accommodation providers to apply for accreditation. Already, 8196 beds have been accredited covering the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu Natal Provinces.
NSFAS also pays living allowances in the sum of R 1750 per month and personal care for distance students to the value of R 3 045 per academic year. Students not living in residences and private accommodation qualify for transport allowances of R 7 875.
On average, a student is funded to the tune of R 95 552, excluding Unisa students who only receive books as allowances because they offer distance learning.
Last year NSFAS also introduced direct payments through the NSFAS bank card for TVET Colleges.
Groundwork is being done to onboard universities in a phased in approach from the 1st of June this year.
Outlining the goals for the National Plan for Post School Education and Training, Nzimande said there were six goals and associated objectives and four ideas as the new drivers for the system.
First, Nzimande said was the massification of the college system with 1 million enrolled in the Community Colleges and 2.5 million in public and private TVET colleges by 2030.
Secondly, he referred to the diversification of the public universities based on their strengths and the needs of the communities in which they are located supported by a 1.6million enrolment target.
This is the reason that the immediate task for the department is to change the size and shape of the post school education and training system particularly to expand the college sector.
“The time has arrived for us to drastically increase intake in TVET and Community Colleges,” said Nzimande, adding that through HIGHER HEALTH, the department has reached over 2 million students in all public universities, TVET and CET campuses by leading the COVID-19 response for the sector.
Last year, over 700 000 students were beneficiaries of Higher Health’s health and psychosocial support programmes.
In August, Nzimande will host a summit to mobilising men based on the UNESCO programme in fighting toxic masculinities Skills development is a key priority in the current financial year. Nzimande said the department would be updating the National List of Occupations in High Demand and piloting the provincial lists of Occupations in High Demand in collaboration with Mpumalanga and Western Cape.
In addition, the department is working on the skills for the hydrogen economy project, in collaboration with Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).
Through the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) combined, 52 701 learnership opportunities to the value of R1.6 billion were made available in the last financial year.
In addition, there were 14 475 internships opportunities to the value of R758 million.
Taking it further, another 14 954 TVET placement opportunities to the value of R726 million was achieved and the department remains committed to its target of 20 000 placements of TVET graduates work placements.
The SETAs combined opened 7095 university students work placements to the value of R311 million and 13 169 bursaries were awarded in various fields on skills in high demand to the value of R970 million.
Another 34 514 skills programs opportunities for the unemployed to the value of R278 million was opened.
“We also reskilled and upskilled 36 502 individuals in various sectors of the economy to the value of R494 Million,” the Minister said.
The National Skills Fund disbursed R1.7 billion towards its bursaries programme in 2021/22, benefitting students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in scarce and critical skills.
In the current financial year, at least 5 000 students will receive NSF funding for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
For the 2023/24 financial year, Nzimande said the following targets have been set as part of expanding training opportunities:
•110 500 workplace-based learning (WBL) opportunities;
•149 000 learners to be registered in skills development programs;
•23 000 learners to enter artisanal programs;
•21 000 learners to pass artisanal trades;
•32 550 learners to complete learnerships; and
•6 450 learners to complete internships.
Currently 26 of the country’s colleges are engaged in entrepreneurial training through Entrepreneurship Hubs. “We are working to ensure that all our colleges are involved in some form of entrepreneurship training in the next three years,” he said.
Centres of Specialisation have expanded from 26 to 34 Centres at 20 TVET Colleges with a further investment of R68 million and 16 Colleges now have 35 Trade Test Centres.
These trade test centres have trade tested over 600 artisans of which over 500 have qualified as artisans.
Last year, Nzimande hosted the first-ever centralised national artisan graduation ceremony for artisans qualifying on the top thirteen (13) of the trades in high demand.
The department we will also be hosting a TVET Curriculum Review and Transformation seminar from
the 28th -30th August 2023.
“We are standardizing our registration and admission processes in our TVET colleges to do away with different processes which have been applied by our colleges. This will include standardization in the processes of issuing of certificates,” Nzimande said.
This standardization process will also help us in the migration from manual to online registration processes at TVET colleges. “We have also witnessed student growth in several colleges that have now begun to embrace the use of technology in their enrolment processes and reducing the number of walk-ins at TVET colleges,” he said.
Through Community Colleges, the department has made the youth an important focus and a priority particularly for the youth that is “Not in Education, employment, or training (NEET).
“We have also created opportunities for our older generation who wish to enter our educational institutions.”
Nzimande told Parliament that a R200 million allocation from the National Skills Fund would ensure that the objective of increasing offerings of skills programmes in TVET Colleges are met.
“Through the National Skills Fund, we have allocated funds for capacity building of Community College lecturers, introduced skills programmes, learnerships and non-formal programmes. This includes the introduction of Civic Education,” he added.
Relating to tertiary education, Nzimande added that the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) would be intensified.
Over a period of seven (7) years, 758 lecturer posts have been allocated to universities and in the current financial year additional 85 posts will be allocated to universities as part of the New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP).
This brings the total allocated posts to universities to 843 by end of the current financial year.
Of the total of 583 lecturers participating (nGAP), 338 (58%) are Female and 245 (42%) are Males; 569 are Black (African, Coloured and Indian) and 14 are White.
“We are also continuing to rollout development programmes through the Professor Sibusiso Bhengu Development programme to strengthen our historically disadvantaged universities. I have also commissioned the Council on Higher Education to conduct a study on blended learning,” he added.
Concerning infrastructure development, the Minister said that to date, the department has invested more than R3.701 billion for the maintenance and repairs of TVET Colleges’ infrastructure through the Capital Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant (CIEG) since the grant inception during the 2018/19 financial year. In addition to maintenance and repairs, CIEG is also used for upgrading the Information Technology (IT) infrastructure.
In relation to TVET Capital Projects, a total of nine (9) TVET College Campuses have been completed at a cost of R2.6 billion. The total amount currently available for investment in infrastructure projects across all the 26 existing universities during the 2023/24-2025/26 MTEF period is R8.662 billion.
Feasibility studies for the establishment of the University of Science and Innovation in Ekurhuleni and the Crime Detection University in Hammanskraal have been completed with construction expected to start in two years. In addition, a feasibility study for the establishment of the Giyani Education Precinct through the establishment of a University Campus with the Tshwane University of Technology has also begun.
The construction design phase for the Ulundi Campus of the University of Zululand will commence in this current financial year and that the actual construction should commence in the 2024/25 financial year.
The budget for the 2023/24 financial year is R133.8 billion, with an annual average increase of 5.3%.
DG of Higher Education & Training, Dr Nkosinathi Sishi, Deputy Minister Buti Manamela and Minister Nzimande. Picture: Supplied.
INSIDE EDUCATION
