The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, address on the occasion of the career expo at the Nazareth Baptist Church of South Africa
His Holiness, Inkosi uShembe (uNyazi-LweZulu); The entire leadership of the Nazareth Baptist Church;
DHET and DSI Directors General, Dr Sishi and Dr Mjwara; KZN DHET Regional Manager;
Amakhosi;
The Zodwa Mchunu Foundation;
Officials and entities of both the Department of Higher Education and Science and Innovation;
All congregants; Invited guests; Members of the media; Ladies and gentlemen
It is my pleasure to join you in fellowship this morning. There is no any other place that I would have wanted to spend this day than to be joined with you in praise and worship.
I thank His Holiness, Inkosi Shembe (uNyazi-LweZulu); the Zodwa Mchunu Foundation working together with the officials from my Ministry, both my Departments of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Science and Innovation for ensuring that all logistics to this events are coordinated with utmost care and diligence.
Our visit today here at the Nazareth Baptist Church is to share the work of both my Department of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Science and Innovation through the Career expo.
We are joined in this Career expo by our 21 SETAs, eight (8) DSI Agencies and entities and by Khetha – our Career Development Services (CDS) which brings free quality career information, advice and counselling services to South Africans from all walks of life.
For thirteen (13) years we have been supporting learners and students with their career journey and to make a well-informed career decisions through career information events such as information sessions and exhibitions hosted at schools, NGOs, Church premises or at an organised venues.
I therefore encourage all members of the church, particularly our learners and students to visit our exhibition stalls.
Ladies and gentlemen
The vision of my Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is of a South Africa in which we have a differentiated and fully-inclusive post-school system that
allows South Africans to access relevant post-school education and training opportunities.
The Department's mission is to develop capable, well-educated and skilled citizens who are able to compete in a sustainable, diversified and knowledge-intensive international economy, which meets the development goals of the country.
His Holiness, Inkosi Shembe (uNyazi-LweZulu) you said it in your invitation letter to me that the Church is not immune to both societal and community challenges faced by its members. Consequently, the Church has been actively engaged in finding solutions for the challenges faced by the youth within the Church.
Today, we are enjoined with you as the Nazareth Baptist Church in your July Congregation (Umhlangano kaJulayi) who attracts an estimated 1.4 million youth.
Given a membership of 8.8 million in South Africa alone, the Nazareth Baptist Church has a considerably young population; accounting for an approximated minimum of 35% of the overall church membership.
Indeed, the majority of these young individuals heavily rely on government grants and other forms of assistance provided by the government.
As per your request, today I am joined by the leadership of both my Departments of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Science and Innovation and our entities and agencies to share information and opportunities in both these departments.
I am also informed that the Nazareth Baptist Church has skilled artisans who engage in various trades such as beadwork and sewing – and that some of them are involved in various trades and small businesses, however they lack formal training in managing their businesses.
I am therefore making a call to the church, to assist us, in identifying skills (i.e., top five priority skills) that are required to respond to your own local socio-economic development, which the department should assist as part of our skills development intervention.
It is important for Community Colleges to enter into partnerships where communities are located, Faith Based Organisations like the Shembe church are accessible to communities and create enabling environments for these collaborations.
I would also like the church to work very close with our Community College branch. We have mandated this branch to work with our churches through our National Strategy on Partnerships which guides collaboration between our Community Colleges and Faith Based Organisations.
The nature of partnerships are focused on community needs that will provide education for youth and adults who have never been to school, dropped out of school or want to acquire a Matric or even improve their Matric and Grade 12 results.
In addition, Community Colleges offer non-formal accredited and non-accredited skills and occupational programmes linked to sustainable livelihoods.
Through this collaboration we will also look at the establishment of a skills centre that will serve the skills needs of the church.
In my earlier discussion with his Holiness, he mentioned the need for the establishment of the church museum. I will indeed discuss this with my counterpart the Minister of Sport, Arts and Church.
One my way to the Church, I also observed the state of the road which is not befitting this nature of this church, which is one of our oldest churches in South Africa. I will indeed raise this issue with my counterparts both in the province of KwaZulu Natal and nation who are responsible for road construction.
His Holiness
Our goals and objectives of both my Department of Higher Education and Training and Science and Innovation is now better coordinated and implemented through our new landscape of higher education, science and innovation (HESI) which is brought about by President Ramaphosa’s decision to place the Departments of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and that of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) under one Ministry.
This new landscape further opens up the opportunities for both these sectors to contribute towards skills development, science and innovation.
This new landscape has now brought under one umbrella five very crucial funding agencies in driving the new HESI landscape and our economic growth and development agenda:
- The National Research Foundation;
- The National Student Financial Aid Scheme;
- The Sector Education and Training Authorities; The Technology Innovation Agency; and
- The National Skills Fund.
These provide us with huge opportunities to fund our objectives and the HESI system in a synergised manner, thus significantly boosting our role and place in the 4IR space.
All these agencies are here today and I would like to appeal to all our youth to get as much information from them as possible.
In order for our Department of Higher Education to facilitate access and success of our students, we have five key subsectors of the PSET system: namely:
- Universities;
- Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges,
- Community Colleges, and;
- Sectoral Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).
The higher education system comprises twenty-six (26) public universities, fifty (50) registered and accredited public TVET Colleges which operate on around 364 campuses spread across the rural and urban areas of the country.
We have nine (9) Community Colleges that targets post-school youth and adults who wish to raise their base for further learning, improve their skills for employability and/or progression to opportunities in the TVET colleges and university education.
These Community Colleges incorporates 3,279 adult education and training centres.
We also have twenty-one (21) Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAS) with each SETA responsible for managing and creating learnerships, internships, unit-based skills programmes, and apprenticeships within its jurisdiction. I must indicate that every industry and occupation in South Africa is covered by one of the 21 SETAs.
Support Provided through NSFAS
Bandla le Nkosi
Our government has established the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) in order to support the children of the working class and the poor.
Students qualify for a NSFAS bursary if they are South African citizens who plans to study or are already studying at a public university or TVET college and meet the following requirements:
- SASSA recipients automatically qualify on financial eligibility
- Your combined household income is not more than R350 000 per year or
- Person with a disability with a combined household income of not more than R600 000 per year or
- Must have email and cell phone number.
This year, NSFAS is currently funding 1.1 million students with a budget allocation of R47,6 billion. This is the first time we have passed the 1million mark in funding.
NSFAS pays for the full cost of study which includes full tuition, accommodation limited to R45 000 per annum, a measure to ensure that we curb overreaching by student accommodation service providers.
NSFAS also pays living allowances in the sum of R 1750 per month and personal care for distance students to the value of R 3 045 per academic year. Students not living in residences and private accommodation qualify for transport allowances of R 7 875.
On average, a student is funded to the tune of R 95 552, excluding Unisa students who only receive books as allowances because they offer distance learning.
His Holiness, government is now working towards the finalisation of a new Comprehensive Student Funding Model which will ensure that those who fall outside of the criteria for NSFAS funding, also receives some sort of funding, either though loans and scholarships.
On the other hand, the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), through the National Research Foundation continues to award bursaries to post-graduate, including for PhD students.
SUPPORT PROVIDED ON GBV, MENTAL HEALTH AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
Through HIGHER HEALTH, which is my agency responsible for fighting GBV and mental health within our PSET, we are providing programme to support the health, wellness and developmental challenges that confront students.
Just last week, I launched the National Civic Education and Health Skills Programme in Mamelodi - Pretoria. This unique co-curriculum will instil amongst the youth the values of respect and compassion for one another, community building, volunteerism and unshakeable commitment to advancing social causes. The programme will be presented in all the twelve (12) officials languages of South Africa.
His Holiness
The Department of Science and Innovation exist to promote science, technology and innovation in South Africa.
Through this Department, we continue to do much work through the entities such as National Research Foundation (NRF), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNSP), Human Science Research Council (HSRC), the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), amongst others.
Just to illustrate our work, by example, we funded our scientists, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), who participated in the World Health Organization's Evolution Working Group to monitor and discuss ways of responding to the emergence of new variants of the novel coronavirus across the globe.
His Holiness, today I want to commit our Researchers from the HSRC to conduct a detailed ethnographic investigation of the Nazareth Baptist Church.
This investigation will provide insights into the church historical evolution and broader sociocultural significance on its members and the community. It will seeks to address critical questions, including how the church has evolved over time and the factors influencing its continuity and growth in the modern era.
Additionally, the study will explore the Church's influence on the daily lives, social interactions, and identity formation of its adherents, as well as its role in promoting social cohesion and community development.
His Holiness, there is so much that I can share about what both my Department are doing but due to time, I will conclude here. I encourage all congregants to visit our exhibitions and learn more about both our department.
Let me also take this opportunity to thank you, His Holiness and the Zodwa Mchunu Foundation for inviting me and both my Departments to your church.
Thank you
