Minister of Higher Educatin, Science and Innovation address on the occasion on the handing over of the Moloke Computer Lab, Science and Education Imbizo held at Mankotsane Village -Apel
Programme Director: Mr Frans Ramonyatse, DHET Regional Manager;
Limpopo MEC for Education. Ms Mavhungu Lerule Ramakhanya;
Fetakgomo Tubatse Mayor - Mayor Cllr Eddie Edwin Maila;
Fetakgomo Tubatse Speaker, Ms Pulwane Reneilwe;
Acting DSI Deputy Director General, Ms Rebecca Maserulume
The Provincial Director General of the Limpopo province, Mr Nape Nchabeleng; Mankotsane Tribal Council;
All Chairpersons and CEO of our SETAs, DSI and DHET entities;
Principals of TVET and CET Colleges;
The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), Prof Sampson Mamphweli;
SACP Provincial Secretary, Dr Chuene Malebana;
COSATU Provincial Secretary, Mr Hangwani Mashau
Basic Education, Circuit Manager, Mr Elmon Seroka;
Moloke Primary School Principal, Ms Patricia Raphiri;
Principals of other schools in the circuit;
All learners from various schools, who are our special guests today;
Members of the media;
Distinguished guests
Thobela!
Good morning!
It is indeed my honour to be here this morning, at the official handover of the Moloke Computer/media lab, science and education Imbizo.
Let me indicate upfront that our gathering today is a Ministerial Imbizo which is meant to engage with yourselves, to listen to your concerns and ideas on matters relating to education and skills development.
Through this Imbizo we want to promote the active involvement and participation of the public in the implementation of government programmes; and build a partnership between government and the people.
I am therefore happy to see all of you today, most especially our learners who are our main and special guests today.
Our event today is also taking place during the Human Rights Month which is commemorated to remind South Africans about the sacrifices that accompanied the struggle for the attainment of democracy in South Africa.
We are here today to launch a computer media lab, to help our learners to master the basics of science, technology and innovation, so as to produce an educated population, including future scientists.
Human Rights Day on 21 March falls within this period. The theme for 2023 is: “Consolidating and Sustaining Human Rights Culture into the Future”.
My remarks today will cover the purpose and importance of today’s event; as well as other related work and skills development initiatives we are doing with the TVET college sector and the SETAs in this province; partnerships with the Community Colleges through our science initiatives; and, other science and technology initiatives, including technology stations programmes. We will talk about these other initiatives so that the work we are doing in this province in higher education, science and innovation is understood holistically.
Ladies and gentlemen
As you can see today I am not alone, I am with your MEC for Education here in Limpopo, Ms Mavhungu Lerule Ramakhanya and the Fetakgomo Tubatse Mayor - Cllr Eddie Edwin Maila.
I am also joined by senior government officials including Chairpersons of our SETAs, Principals of our Colleges, our CEOs, including our Deputy Director Generals, led by Acting DSI Deputy Director General, Ms Rebecca Maserumule and our Provincial Director General of the Limpopo province, Mr Nape Nchabeleng.
Today we also have more than 36 of our institutions comprising of our SETAs, Science agencies, TVET and CET colleges, all exhibiting.
I hope all learners and parents had an opportunity to visit our stalls this morning. For those who have not visited them yet, you still have an opportunity after this programme to visit all the stalls to get the most valuable information from both our Departments of Higher Education and Science and Innovation.
Kgoshi Mankotsane, I must indicate that as all the three spheres of government and our partners, we are here today and have worked together to ensure that this state- of-the- art computer lab project is built and becomes an asset of this and surrounding schools.
My gratitude also goes to the Principal of the school, Ms Patricia Raphiri, who has opened the gates of the school and allowed my team to work with the school to ensure that this project and this Imbizo is a success. Rea Hlogo ya Sekolo and the entire School Governing Body.
Ladies and gentlemen
Our relationship with the Department of Basic Education is a very strategic and complementary one. Basic Education hosts our Community Colleges in the majority of its schools. Just around we have two of our CET satellite centres, the Nkotsane and Jacob Marwale Satellite Learning Centres, which I will talk about later.
Taking further from a special ministerial project in KwaZulu-Natal involving four schools that were equipped for their learners to learn coding in 2021, today I will be handing over this state-of-the art off- the grid computer centre here at Moloke Primary School in the Sekhukhune District of Limpopo.
This project is led by myself in the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, in collaboration with the Department of Science and Innovation and Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies.
History and Positioning of the project on national priorities and goals
This off-grid media lab project is a project initiated and funded through the department of science and Innovation’s Renewable and Sustainable Energy Research Hub and Spokes Programme.
The first media lab was piloted at Mugoidwa Secondary School and it became a success and a great asset to the community.
Apart from assisting in teaching and learning the lab was also used by the National Youth Development Agency for training of 30 young people in business development. This demonstrates that government departments and entities can work closely to deliver services to the nation.
The media lab project is the culmination of a long-standing investment by the Department of Science and Innovation in the development and application of scientific knowledge domains.
Of paramount importance is the exposure of rural school learners to state-of-the-art technologies that place them in good position to access and use modern technologies and new forms of knowledge.
The National Development Plan (NDP) has identified science, technology and innovation (STI) as primary drivers of economic growth, job creation and socio- economic reform.
The Decadal (Ten Year) Plan for STI, serves as an implementation plan for the White Paper on STI and the projects such as the media labs fit very well into this plan.
These media labs are also meant to advance publicly funded Intellectual property to enable technology localisation, job creation and service delivery to our people.
The idea is to use as much locally developed Intellectual Property as possible as can be demonstrated in the lab that will be launched at Moloke School.
Prof Mamphweli has already taken us through the key features of this building that is designed to be user friendly as well as to be environmentally friendly and being off- grid.
Another important issue I must mention is that through this project, the Stellenbosch University will be able to train Interns from the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.
The University has already recruited and trained one TVET College Graduate on solar PV and monitoring of the media labs.
This project will enable our Interns to secure their Diplomas as part of their internship training for a duration of 18 months before they can get their qualification from the TVET college.
What is also important is that our interns will get their qualification equipped with the scarce skills in the renewable energy sector where most people in rural areas do not normally participate.
With the media laboratory at Moloke school, our Sekhukhune TVET College is also involved, and this partnership will unlock the training of TVET college graduates in the scarce skills area of renewable energy.
The media lab is off-grid and this was done to relieve the school from the pressure of buying electricity to power the computers.
I want to take this opportunity to congratulate my DSI led by DG Mjwara and his team, as well as Prof Sampson Mamphweli and the Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (SANEDI), and my entire Ministerial Project team for this outstanding job well done. Thank you! Re ya leboga!!
I also would like to congratulate the two DGs for ensuring that both departments (DHET and DSI) have set another good example of working together to advance critical projects in the HESI landscape.
Increasing partnerships between TVET Colleges and SETAs in Limpopo Ladies and gentlemen
Our TVET Colleges are required to scale up occupational programmes which also require that they seek additional sources of funding through concrete and sustainable partnerships with various stakeholders including with our SETAs.
We also want our TVET colleges to be drawn into our STI system and also become centres for innovation themselves.
We are strategically repositioning our SETAs to strongly support our TVET colleges, because it is important for colleges to become more embedded in industry and ensure that their curriculum is aligned to the pillars of what drives the economy of any area in which they are located.
It is for this reason that Limpopo TVET Colleges, like all our colleges, are expected to have very strong partnerships with our SETAs and industry.
In Limpopo, these partnerships cover a variety of areas such as Work Integrated Learning (WIL), Work-Based Exposure (WBE) for students, capacity development of lecturers through training and work placement, donation and funding for build new infrastructure or refurbish existing infrastructure and training equipment, amongst others.
Here in the Limpopo province, some of the projects funded by SETAs and industry at our TVET Colleges include the following:
- The Stellenbosch, Maastricht University and Vhembe TVET College on Agriculture Water Smart (i.e., Greenhouse); the Capricorn and Talent Emporium Academy on Water and Wastewater Management;
- the 4IR Lab at Vhembe TVET sponsored by ETDP SETA;
- MERSETA funding of the upgrading of the 4IR Lab at Vhembe TVET College,
- The FASSET donation of 530 laptops to Vhembe TVET College.;
- The partnership between the Waterberg TVET College with the University of Limpopo for the articulation of Primary Agriculture students into the university; and our
- Limpopo TVET College students’ also participation in the World Skills Competitions funded by our SETAs.
- Our consolidated SETAs current projects in Sekhukhune District amounts to R179 219 729.79. This amount includes money for learnerships, artisans apprenticeship, internships, TVET placements, University graduate placements, bursaries and short skills projects.
- We are planning projects to the value of R R35 944 428.00 in the next financial which will start now in April.
Increasing number of students in TVET Colleges in Limpopo
MEC Mavhungu Lerule Ramakhanya, in my media briefing on the 24th January, this year, on the state of our readiness for the beginning of the academic year 2023, I indicated that our planned TVET colleges headcount enrolment for 2023 is expected to be 497 032 nationally for the Ministerial approved programmes with additional 59 383 (national) headcount enrolment for programmes that are funded through other funding sources, which then brings the total planned TVET enrolment for the academic year 2023 to 556 415 nationally.
Of the total planned enrolment of 556,415, a total of 52 436 constitute planned enrolment for TVET Colleges in Limpopo Region.
Over the past years, since COVID-19, the fiscus baseline has received numerous budget cuts leading to the downward trend in the above figures especially in the Ministerial programmes.
As part of our strategy to close the gap towards the realization of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 target, our TVET branch has engaged our Regional Managers and Principals of Colleges on various options to support accelerated access and growth of the sector.
I can indicate that there is currently a Task Team to look at the potential expansion strategies of our TVET sector.
The Task Team is looking at some of the following options:
- The assessment of the available excess infrastructure (classrooms, workshops etc.) to cater for additional enrolments. In the context of Limpopo, this requires a relook into some of the closed former colleges of education and schools which are no longer in use. Therefore, MEC Lerule-Ramakhanya the collaboration between the provincial departments and various TVET Colleges are important.
- The Task team is also doing an assessment of the capacity of our colleges to offer multimodal / hybrid teaching and learning i.e., distance learning. I must indicate in this regard that the Limpopo TVET Colleges are already leading in online applications and registration of students nationally.
I congratulate the province in this regard. This capacity of the province should be tested on how it can support the hybrid (blended) teaching and learning which in a long run will bring a new trajectory in distance learning in certain programmes which do not require practical learning. - The Task Team is also looking at the assessment of the human resource (i.e., lecturers) capacity to cater for the growth of the sector.
Colleges in Limpopo are already having partnerships with universities and universities of technology to deal with the professional development of lecturers.
This is an important aspect which is aimed at ensuring that there exists sufficient capacity for the growth of the TVET Colleges and the provision of the requisite skills required by the economy.
Furthermore, our colleges continue to train lecturers on subject matter content, new curricula and on programmes that relate to fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
- The Limpopo TVET Colleges Principals are working very well with various levels of governments in Limpopo (i.e., Province, District and Local Municipalities). This creates opportunities to realize some the above strategies to increase number of students in the sector.
Sekhukhune Skills Centre
One of my major skills development project in the Sekhukhune District is the construction of the Sekhukhune Skills Centre.
On 21 October 2021, I held a sod turning of Sekhukhune Skills Development Centre, the project was allocated R146,9-million utilised as follows: R131 million for the building of the Skills Development Centre; R9 million for capacitation of informal traders and construction of trading stalls for 45 informal traders operating in the surrounding areas; and R6,9 million to construct an access road into the Centre.
The centre has now enrolled its first cohort of learners on 16 January 2023, 20 in Plant Production; 35 in IT Systems Development and Support; 45 in Small Business; 35 in Drivers Licence and 20 in New Venture Creation; whilst other programs such as Water & Waste Water Operations; Bricklayer; Carpenter and Electrician are planned for the period up to May 2023.
We will be officially opening this centre very soon.
Strengthening the communication on the good work done by SETAs and TVET Colleges
Ladies and gentlemen
The Limpopo Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) is one of those important platforms that allow various SETAs, Universities and TVET Colleges to present and showcase their support for the skills required by the Limpopo province.
These engagements are attended by Members of the Executive Committees (MECs) of various Departments including District Executive Mayors. The good work needed to be up scaled and reinforced.
The recently held Limpopo HRDC meeting was two days ago on 22 March 2023 at Vhembe TVET College. Members of the Limpopo HRDC also conducted a tour of the Vhembe TVET College, Makwarela Campus. I must indicate that this is one of our colleges that are leading in innovation and partnerships with industry and SETAs.
On partnership between the Community College and the Moloke Computer Lab Ladies and gentlemen
Our Limpopo Community College has identified two learning sites to benefit from this computer lab we are handing over today. The benefiting CET learning sites will be Nkotsane and Jacob Marwale Satellite Learning Centres.
The two (2) learning sites stand to benefit in the form of upskilling and capacitation of lecturers in digital literacy, introduction of the Information Technology and Communication Learning Area within the GETC qualification and opportunity to access the internet.
For the Jacob Marwale Centre which is operating from Mokhulwane School, there is an opportunity for the college to have a fully-fledged centre which can expand on skills provision. The hosting infrastructure is solid, it is in the center of a community and it is no longer used by the Provincial Education Department. I have held discussions with the MEC on the possibility to transfer these facilities to our CET College.
Science and innovation interventions Ladies and gentlemen
On our other important interventions from my Department of Science and innovation, we have a science engagement programme that seeks to develop a science-aware and science-literate society.
Our engagement programme has evolved greatly and to an extent that we have now regularised its impact evaluation through a national survey.
The first of its kind, which we refer to as the South African Public Relationship with Science Survey. We conducted this survey last year between September and December.
When the survey report is released towards the end of the current financial year (2023/24), we will know how connected the nation is to science in terms of issues such
as attitudes to and perceptions of science, as well as trust in science, scientists and science institutions.
I must indicate that this survey will makes us one of the few nations that conduct such studies and it is our intention that within two years of releasing the survey report, we will conduct a country comparison study to establish how we compare to those nations that like us, are investing in public engagement with science.
Our science and innovation interventions in this province includes the work we are doing with the Vhembe District Municipality by deploying innovation champions to Local Economic Development (LED) offices to foster innovation-driven LED.
Through this project we have invested R3, 500, 000 (3 and a half million rand) over 2 years.
The project focuses on:
- Mapping of local innovation systems using Local Innovation Advancement Toolkit (LIAT);
- Utilising LIAT in integrated development planning (IDP) processes;
- Incorporate innovation in LED strategies;
- Create linkages among actors and agents within local innovation systems and ensure linkages between local systems and the NSI; and sourcing funding and expertise from the NSI to implement LED interventions locally.
Since inception in 2021, the Programme has so far achieved the following:
- Six (6) innovation champions were deployed at the Vhembe site;
- The LED strategy was revised to mainstream innovation as a driver of inclusive development;
- Mapping of production value-chains was completed to identify catalytic interventions to drive job creation and to broaden economic participation; and
- Community structures were set up to engage communities on the new plans for communities around economic interventions that will be implemented in the municipalities of the Vhembe District.
Mobile Applications Laboratory (mLab)
Another project we have launched is the Mobile Applications Laboratory Southern Africa (mLab) in Polokwane.
We established this initiative in 2012 through our partnership with the the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, World Bank InfoDev, The Innovation Hub (TIH), and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The mLab places great importance on driving social and economic impact within the ICT sector.
The initiative has strong focus on empowering youth and driving inclusive innovation within the digital economy through its three main programmes which include; Skills Development, Enterprise Development and Technology Development.
Since inception , the MLab in Limpopo has provided support as follows:
- mLab Start-Up Accelerator - 20 startups incubated;
- Over 100 SMMEs supported through training workshops; and
- Through the CodeTribe – we provided100 participants, we had 60 - 80% employment opportunities.
Technology Stations Programme (TSP)
We also have a programme called the Technology Stations Programme (TSP) in collaboration with the University of Limpopo. Most people refer to this project as theLimpopo Agri-food Tech Station.
Through this project, we invested R7, 000, 000 (7 million rand) annually.
This programme provides Technology Stations (TSs), mostly at Universities of Technology with specialised equipment and funding, to provide technology support to firms, especially SMMEs, including potential entrepreneurs and co-ops.
This programme incorporates the industry learning (what type of problems and skills are essential) back into enhanced curriculum development – thereby enhancing teaching and student training.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen
I want to thank the ETDPSETA for donating 300 school bags, pencils cases and rulers, and also thank the FP&MSETA for donating 300 pairs of shoes and the M&Q for donating another 300 pairs of shoes for needy learners. Realeboga!
All of these will go a long way to change the lives of the learners at this school and all the other schools that have been identified in this district.
I thank all the organisers from both my Departments, SANEDI, the Moloke Primary School Principal and the School Governing Body and our Mankotsane Tribal Council.
Thank you very much to the Premier Stanley Mathabathe, MEC Lerule Ramakhanya, and Fetakgomo Mayor, Cllr Cllr Eddie Edwin Maila for all your support.
Most importantly, I thank all the learners and their parents, including the members of the community who took their time to join us in this imbizo.
Realeboga, haholo! Enjoy your day further.
