Chairperson of Sugar Industry Trust Fund for Education (SITFE), Mr Tim Murray
The Honourable MEC for Economic Development and Tourism Mike Mabuyakhulu
Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe
Recipients of new bursaries
Ladies and gentlemen
It is a great honour for me to be here today and to address you on this wonderful occasion. At the outset, let me take this opportunity to extend our congratulations to the 45 students from deep rural sugar cane growing communities who are today being awarded bursaries to the value of R2,9 million in the fields of engineering and agriculture. You are not only doing us proud but also your parents, your community and generations of workers who have toiled in these fields. Your hard work and perseverance in your studies will be a tribute to the workers who have kept the wheels of the sugar industry turning.
The one value we must always try and inculcate is a responsibility to give back to the communities we come from. Those communities in which we grow and develop, shape who we are. Therefore we must never leave them behind. All the skills and knowledge you will acquire over the next few years of your studies will help you progress but must also be able to bring value to the sugar cane industry and your communities.
Since it came into existence in 1965, it is commendable that Sugar Industry Trust Fund for Education (SITFE) has supported over 9000 students through its educational programmes. The Trust Fund has remained committed to its mission t o support, promote and advance sustainable, quality education in sugarcane growing areas in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape.
I was pleased to learn that SITFE invests in a diversity of educational programmes, including early childhood development projects, infrastructure support to schools, and investing in higher education bursaries and development programmes. Over the years, the Trust Fund has made substantial investments to education in these areas. It is particularly pleasing that these bursaries programme targets students in a range of our institutions including universities and universities of technology as well as agricultural colleges, in particular areas of relevance to the sugar industry, including agriculture, science and engineering. The Fund's support for a diversity of qualification types is in line with our efforts in government to promote learning at all higher education and training institutions, particularly colleges.
In particular, the Trust Fund's focus shows a commitment to the development of rural areas in the country and is supporting the transformation of areas of extreme poverty. The Trust Fund should be commended for these efforts, all of which will contribute to the national economy.
The Trust Fund also supports students in the University of KwaZulu-Natal Intensive Tuition for Engineers (UNITE) programme and the Tshwane University of Technology Stepping initiative alternate access programmes for engineers in Mpumalanga. This is a worthy investment as help ing students in these programmes also ensures that needy students are given support to access higher education and succeed in their studies. These programmes will help us address skills shortages in the engineering sector.
The establishment of the Department of Higher Education and Training last year mark ed a huge turning point in addressing the challenges of access and success in our universities and college system. Our main objective is to provide better opportunities of access to post school education while also ensuring that there is provision of the requisite skills in order to address unemployment in the country. The establishment of the department has allowed for a more concerted focus on the particular challenges of the post-schooling system.
We have released the findings of research by the Ford Foundation which show that there are nearly three million 18 to 24 year olds not in employment, education or training. These are disturbing figures and an extraordinary waste of talent and human capability. We are making concerted efforts, in line with the Human Resource Development Strategy of South Africa, to address this problem.
Science, engineering and agricultural science, the areas in which the SITFE funds students, are also areas of critical importance for the development of our country, and are all areas identified as priorities. In this regard the support from SITFE to young people from disadvantaged rural communities to study in these areas can make an important contribution to addressing skills shortages and meeting the development needs of the country. We welcome this kind of support.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) in government is designed to cater for the considerable need for financial support to the poorest students in our higher education system. As you may be aware my department recently completed a review of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to examine the inefficiencies of and challenges facing NSFAS so that we can provide more and better support to young people. Our response to the recommendations of the review will be released in August.
While we are committed to providing more funding to needy students, our university system still faces a number of challenges that require our attention and that of other stakeholders. These challenges include, but are not limited to the system not responding adequately to the skills needs for the development of the country and the overall low throughput and graduation rates of students in undergraduate degrees. We know from research that the costs of higher education are a very serious prohibitive factor in accessing and succeeding in higher education, and government cannot alone provide all the necessary funding.
The department has committed R2,7 billion for NSFAS for this financial year, and in addition, loan recovery supports continued bursary offerings in universities and college. We are aware that these amounts are still highly inadequate. The financial need is so great that government cannot alone support access to higher education for all needy students. We need the support of those who are willing to make the commitment and investment to funding higher education students. We need to do more and target more students. We are dependent on partnerships with the private sector to support students in the expense of higher education. This is why the role of funds like the SIFTE can and do play such a critical role in expanding access to higher education.
Amongst this government's strategic focus areas for the period of the Medium Term Strategic Framework is a priority focus on education and training. Education is receiving intensive support and attention during this period. My performance agreement with the President clearly spells out the key targets in the higher education and skills development arena and has set the agenda for the work of my department. Achieving these targets will require substantial support from partners all over the country.
The Sugar Industry Trust Fund for Education is an important partner for the Department of Higher Education and Training in supporting skills development, knowledge generation and human development in some of the poorest regions of the country. Indeed, rural development is also a major priority of the current government. This programmes strategic focus is strongly in line with the needs identified for government as urgent priorities, both in its support for students at universities and colleges, and in its choice of focus areas.
The department has allocated R3,265 billion in infrastructure funds to universities for the 2010 to 2012 financial years. Engineering is one of the areas that will benefit from these funds. Much as we appreciate SITFE's investment in education projects, we have a bigger challenge of building sustainable institutional capacity for training of artisans, technicians, engineers and scientists in agriculture and related programmes. I intend to come back to the South African Sugar Association to discuss a partnership between my department, the universities in this province, the Further Education and Training colleges and the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) in order to rebuild colleges of excellence in these and related areas.
We are planning to establish a university in Mpumalanga of a special type that will be linked to colleges and schools in order to train people in scarce skills. Since the sugar industry operates in that province, we would like to draw you into a partnership in which you can invest in building sustainable institutional capacity.
Last week, on Nelson Mandela International Day, we launched a ministerial flagship career guidance campaign targeting learners in rural areas who do not have access to career information. It was a successful event which will be hosted annually, and is part of an ongoing campaign on career guidance. SITFE could also be an important partner with the department in this very important initiative, because part of the major challenge for young people is the lack of information and guidance on the entry requirements and subject choices required for entry to higher education institutions.
I would also like to encourage those receiving bursaries here today to also support our campaign for improved career guidance to young people in high school. I urge you to go back to your schools and communities, and talk about your university and college studies and experiences. Take time to share what it takes to access and succeed in higher education. This will inspire further generations of students in the sugar growing areas to follow in your footsteps.
The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) has launched a career advice centre and is a key partner in this programme. Informative career guidance programmes and support to learners and school leavers in career decision-making also contributes to helping young people make the right choices about their future studies and access higher education programmes successfully. We welcome the support of all prospective partners in this important campaign to lend a helping hand to young people faced with crucial decisions about their future.
Nowhere has the power of partnerships between government, higher education institutions and the private sector been better demonstrated that right here in KwaZulu-Natal where researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal achieved an important scientific breakthrough in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The antiretroviral microbicide gel study is one of the biggest triumphs in the thirty year history of the anti AIDS struggle.
I want to congratulate the University of KwaZulu-Natal for its steadfast work in the area of AIDS research and for being a leader in research and innovation in our country. We wish the researchers all the best in the confirmatory studies which will hopefully lead to the gel becoming available to women all over the world.
In conclusion ladies and gentlemen, let me once again congratulate the bursary recipients on their achievements and encourage them to work through the challenges of being a student and commit fully to your studies. Congratulations also to SITFE for your work in the higher education and training sector and we look forward to a closer partnership with you.
I thank you.
