Financial assistance to poor students in Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges through the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has increased four-fold from R318 million in 2010 to R1, 7 billion in 2012.
In August, Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, signed agreements with all FET College principals for the allocation of R2.5 billion from the National Skills Fund (NSF) for the expansion and capacity building of FET colleges; while in April President JG Zuma announced a R2.5 billion allocation towards the refurbishment and construction of new FET campuses over the next three years.
These are some of the key interventions government has made to ensure that FET Colleges are strengthened, the quality of teaching improved, adequate facilities and equipment is available and student support services are augmented.
Alongside these investments, FET College enrolments have meanwhile increased from a headcount enrolment of about 327 000 to about 550 000 in the last three years.
Through a partnership with the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has already started a process of ensuring that all FET colleges have Chartered Accountants as Chief Financial Officers to improve financial management, good corporate governance and accountability.
While a lot more achievements have been notched up in the process of turning around FET Colleges, there is still more that is in the planning while some challenges still remain to be overcome in pursuing the goal of turning these colleges into institutions of choice in South Africa.
Members of the media are invited to a briefing by the Minister:
Date: Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Time: 13h00
Venue: Imbizo Media Centre, 120 Plein Street, Cape Town (Main Venue), GCIS Media Centre, Pretoria
RSVP:
Bridget: 078 291 4438 or Zanda – 076 779 7828 by 9h00 on Wednesday, 14 November 2012.
By 2030, the DHET expects to increase enrolments in all non-university, post-school institutions to 4 million, and these will include colleges owned by other government departments such as nursing, agricultural, police and other colleges.
