Group
27 November 2007
President Thabo Mbeki chaired the Higher Education Working Group meeting on
Tuesday, 27 November 2007, at the Union Buildings in Tshwane. Minister of
Education, Naledi Pandor and various representatives of the Higher Education
fraternity, also attended the Working Group, which was last held in May this
year.
In her introductory address to the Working Group, the Minister highlighted
some of the pressing challenges facing the Higher Education system in South
Africa. Amongst others, the Minister highlighted the demands these institutions
face to expand their infrastructure so as to cope with higher numbers of
students anticipated over the next few years. The Minister also highlighted the
issue of increasing fees in higher education institutions and the imperative of
curriculum reform in these institutions.
Dr Barney Pityana, who represented the Higher Education South Africa (HESA),
presented, to the Working Group, a number of projects that HESA proposed to
address the challenges. He began his presentation by announcing the completion
of a study conducted by HESA into the fees issue and articulated the hope that
this study would be used to inform a uniform policy on the subject.
The projects proposed by HESA, which it envisages to be overseen by the
Department of Education, the HESA and Council on Higher Education (CHE),
include, amongst others, an investigation into the viability of a four-year
undergraduate degree. Other proposed projects aim to build an optimal Higher
Education system to meet the future demands of the country; in engaging with
interventions to position South African Higher Education within Africa and the
world and in the resourcing of the higher education sector.
Discussions also focused on the internet broadband needs of these
institutions, and Minister Irwin provided feedback on government's advancements
towards securing bandwidth for state and higher education institutions.
For more information contact:
Mukoni Ratshitanga
Cell: 082 300 3447
Issued by: The Presidency
27 November 2007
