The Higher Education Department has aligned its goals to that of South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) which aims to reduce poverty, iniquity, and unemployment by 2030. Here’s how the department will look to contribute to these goals through its plans to support Community Education & Training (CET) colleges.
Minister of Higher Education, Innovation and Science Dr Blade Nzimande reaffirmed his department’s commitment to contributing to the NDP through the improvement of the CET sector.
Nzimande also announced that 900 CET college lecturers will be trained in accredited training programmes and will subsequently impart this knowledge to their students. The department will also be accrediting 35 pilot community learning centres this year.
The minister revealed that a portion of the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) discretionary grant funding will also be dedicated to CET Colleges. This will include providing CET colleges with some of their training programmes.
The colleges will also offer two new accredited programmes in Entrepreneurship and Digital Skills programmes.
Here’s How The Department Of Higher Education Will Support CET Colleges.
CET colleges are seen as an important mechanism to contribute to the NDP goals of reducing poverty, inequality and unemployment in South Africa.
The department will
- develop and implement a sustainable funding model and advocacy strategy, and diversify programme offerings in CET colleges geared towards expanded access and responsive colleges
- build and develop a CET system that is responsive to the needs of communities by piloting the CET concept in 54 community learning centres.
- implement monitoring and evaluation instruments to perform effective oversight over the CET sector and ensure they are performing efficiently. They will also enable the holistic implementation of norms and standards for funding CET colleges.
- accredit community learning centres to provide opportunities for further study to individuals who do not meet the requirements for entry into TVET colleges and other institutions of further learning
- assist CET colleges in the implantation of the advocacy strategy to ensure they meet their enrolment targets by attracting more young people
- introduce skills programmes and develop an entrepreneurship programme to address the NDP goals
- improve lecturer capacity to ensure the provision of quality programmes
