We welcome the intention of the new Department of Higher Education and Training to develop a long term vision (Green Paper) for the next 30 years, a vision that will shape the future of higher education and training sector.
We wish to emphasise and draw attention to the fact that, whilst this visioning is important, it is also vital that many pressing issues that the sector faces be given the necessary priority and addressed without delay.
One such critical issue is the lack of information related to vocational training and career guidance. Many learners, particularly in rural areas, are challenged by the lack of access to credible and useful information.
It is vital that the current fragmented vocational training and career guidance initiatives be strengthened through improved access, communication and coordination.
We believe that the success of this initiative will enable us to reach the 2.7 million young people between the ages of 16 to 24 that the system fails to reach.
The committee calls on the Department of Higher Education and Training to speed up this intervention so that this situation can be addressed urgently.
It is the committee’s view that such information should be made available to students, the unemployed and all South Africans.
The committee knows that many learners and unemployed are unable to easily access career guidance information because of the lack of access to information technology infrastructure. Parliament received a memorandum from South African Students Congress (SASCO) last week; such memorandum raises a number of critical issues that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. The committee is going to engage SASCO in this regard with a view of taking this matter forward.
Enquiries:
Mava Lukani
Tel: 021 403 8738
Cell: 072 589 9355
E-mail: mlukani@parliament.gov.za
Issued by: Parliament of South Africa
9 March 2010
Source: Parliament of South Africa (http://www.parliament.gov.za/)
