Programme Director, Dr Maharaswa,
British High Commissioner,
Leadership of the further education and training (FET) colleges,
Leadership of the Sector education and training authorities (SETAs),
Leadership of the Higher Education Institutions,
Leadership of the National Business Initiative and Jet Education Services,
Honourable guests,
Members of the media,
Comrades,
Ladies and gentleman,
Good morning.
I have to start by thanking the British High Commissioner for the brief but very crucial background on the cultural and historical relationship between the United Kingdom and South Africa; we would certainly not be here today making history in the Further Education and Training sector, if it was not for our great partnership and collaboration.
As many of you might know, the UK’s Futher Education and Training sector has been very successful in establishing and maintaining an Association of Colleges. The establishment of the Association of Colleges South Africa has been adapted from the UK model.
I use the term “adapted” because indeed, what the Association of Colleges for South Africa (AoCSA) is and must always maintain is a responsiveness to the South African context in which it must operate. This Association, therefore, is a proudly South African product!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Comrades and Friends welcome to this auspicious occasion, I see smiles of pride amongst some of you if also a sense of anxiety about the amount of work that awaits this Association.
Like yourselves, I am proud and honoured to be standing before you today where we see initial steps towards a strengthened and well organised college sector.. This is the beginning of important work towards ensuring the effectiveness, relevance and future success of this Association, which will provide thought leadership on the vocational and continuing education and training.
I am not known for long speeches, so in keeping with that good reputation, I will not speak for longer than necessary. We are all here to celebrate, enjoy the festivities and mingle with one another, talking specifically about how we will take the Association forward as business, policy makers and education institutions.
I must, however, provide the foreword to your impending discussions and share with you why the establishment of the Association is important in South Africa and what the department hopes it will achieve for the college sector moving forward.
Since becoming the first Minister of Higher Education and Training, it has been my department’s vision to transform into strong and effective institutions that are capable of discharging their mandate in respect of the skills revolution in the country.
It has also been my department’s role to further expand and strengthen the Vocational and Continuing Education and Training sector as part of an integrated and differentiated post – school system.
The Post - School Education and Training sector is expanding with enrolments within the College sector having almost doubled from 358 393 in 2010 to 657 690 in 2012. This is an achievement and it means our people, both young and old, are starting to appreciate the importance of FET Colleges for our growing economy.
It is the aim of Government, as outlined in the National Development Plan, to ensure that we reach enrolments of 4 million by 2030. With this growth in mind, it will be important to mobilise support both within and outside the College sector, towards this goal. The AoCSA can play a significant role in this regard.
With this expansion there is certainly a need to look at enhancing the relevance and quality of the College sector to respond to the demands of a dynamic and ever evolving world of work and the overall human and other developmental needs of SA. In order for this to materialise we need to enhance stakeholder involvement in shaping the College sector into the desired skills pillar for the country.
There is also a number of questions that we need to deliberate on and answer as a country with regards to the evolution of the College sector across the policing, nursing, agricultural and other skills fields that do not fall within the ambit of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), and my hope is that the Association in partnership with other important stake holders will be able to respond to such questions for instance:
- How do we improve the programme offerings and curriculum to ensure their responsiveness to both industry and broader social needs?
- How do we improve lecturer capacity to deliver curriculum and oversee effective teaching and learning for students?
- Are we appropriately and effectively advocating for Vocational education to ensure the attraction and retention of quality students?
- What are some of the good practices that can be shared across our institution to enhance governance, management, and strategic planning.
There are indeed high expectations thrust upon the FET colleges to play a meaningful role in the skills development of the country which makes the establishment and sustainability of a single body that can coordinate the activities both within and across the post school system pivotal.
The strength of this Association will, among other things, be evidenced by its ability to stimulate shared, empirical knowledge outputs that can be used to lobby for and indeed drive change in the sector. Such an Association should provide the body of knowledge that can be used by state and non – state actors to improve the vocational and continuing education and training sector.
The generation knowledge and sharing of knowledge and good practises will certainly be best achieved by having an Association that is inclusive and represented by a diversity of stakeholders such as higher education institutions, the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and,organized labour and students to mention but a few.
The creation of the DHET has provided not only the opportunity to build a shared vision of the new post school system but also presents a chance to develop a coordinated response to the skills challenges facing South Africa.
The Association is meant to give a voice to a sector that has seemingly been voiceless in the country’s skills and human capital development debates. I trust that with the creation of the AoCSA, it will be possible for us to see a much more robust and informed College sector input on these matters.
It is my sincere hope that the creation of the Association of Colleges of South Africa (AoCSA) will provide an opportunity for an authoritative voice of colleges to merge, based on credible analysis, research, advocacy and consultation; and the first choice destination for guidance and advice for its members on matters affecting the sector.
The strategic thrust of such an organisation must be to contribute to building communities of trust amongst key role players, in order to develop a coherent and integrated post school system, and one in which all South Africans take pride!
Conclusion,
In conclusion, I want to especially that the South African Colleges Principal Organisation (SACPO), the Further Education and Training College Employers Organisation (FETCEO), the National Business Initiative (NBI) and the British Council for working tirelessly to make sure that this day is a success. I am certain that you will all continue to ensure that the Association itself is a success through continuous engagements and interactions.
I urge all the stakeholders present here today to be collectively responsible for and form partnerships to enable the objective of a 'highly skilled and capable' workforce within an integrated education and training system to be achieved for South Africa in this lifetime. Let us now celebrate and be merry but not forget the hard work that still awaits us.
Thank you!
