Department of Higher Education and Training: Strategic Plan 2011 briefing

Meeting report

Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET): Revised strategic plan 2010/11 to 2014/15  
Mr Gwebinkundla Qonde, Acting Director General, Department of Higher Education and Training, reminded the Committee that the original Strategic Plan for 2010/11 to 2014/15 was presented in 2010. The past two years had seen intensive activity in the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET or the Department) and so the revised strategic plan drawn by the Department now focused on addressing priorities in the New Growth Path (NGP) and recognition of prior learning. The presentation also focused on curricular transformation, including artisan training and second-chance opportunities, and on improving funding for students.

The vision of the DHET was to have a differentiated and fully inclusive post-school system that allowed all South Africans to access relevant post-school education and training, in order to fulfil the economic and social goals of participation in an inclusive economy and society. The mission statement of the Department was to develop capable, well educated and skilled citizens that were able to compete in a sustainable, diversified and knowledge-intensive international economy, which met the developmental goals of the country.

The Department used the approach of reducing the bottleneck of scarce skills areas. It wished to improve low participation rates in the post-school system, and would also improve the quality and efficiency in the whole system and across all institutions, so that people would stop judging others by who had obtained what qualification at what institution. The Department had done an assessment of the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and the results showed that over 60% of SETA courses were short courses. That had resulted in the Department refocusing and relicensing SETAs from 1 April 2011.

Mr Firoz Patel, Deputy Director General:  Department of Higher Education and Training, focused on the structure of the strategic plan. An over-arching point of the framework was the Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa (HRDSA) which was led by the Deputy President and managed by the DHET. The DHET’s 5-year medium term strategic objectives had already been developed. Short term one-year operational plans focused on matters such as DHET’s targets and time frames.

The Department had five priority programmes. The first, the Administration Programme, supported and co-ordinated services for the DHET, including the office of the Minister and Deputy Minister. This programme dealt with the normal matters such as human resources (HR) and establishing the regional and provincial presence of DHET. Programme 2: Human Resource Development, had to establish a credible institutional mechanism for skills planning. It also provided key transversal services for the DHET in systems planning, information for working with the Universities, monitoring the broad systems and evaluation coordination. Programme 2 also provided legal and legislative services, which supported legislation, and provided for social inclusion and equity in Higher Education and Training. Key priorities on this programme included pursuing an education and training system that included all citizens of the country, without exclusions based on race, disability, gender, class or age. The DHET had to provide career guidance services for citizens of the country, again ensuring full inclusion of all citizens without regard to race, disability, gender, class or age. 

Ms Brenda Swart, Acting Chief Director: Financial Planning and Information Systems, DHET, described Programme 3 to the Committee. This programme dealt with University Education, academic planning and management, financial planning, which focused on funding, financial policies and information systems. It also provided for policy development, and for training development in post-school teaching, in schools and preschools. DHET had links with the Department of Science and Technology (DST)  and Department of Communications (DOC). The University Education Branch was responsible for the implementation of increased access to high level occupationally-directed programmes in needed areas, for increased research in development, and innovation in human development for a growing knowledge economy.

Key priorities of the University Education Programme were that the Department had to increase the number of graduates in fields like teacher education, health science and engineering. The Department had to ensure successful transformation in the university sector. DHET also had to improve student funding through National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), following the results of a review that had shown that NSFAS did not cater for the special needs of disabled students, which would be addressed by DHET in the future. Two task teams were looking at the model for the development of the universities in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape provinces, to improve access to the university sector.
 
Dr Bheki Mahlobo, Acting Deputy Director General: Further Education,  DHET, enlightened the Committee on Programme 4, which was concerned with vocational and continuing education, and training services on planning and institutional support to institutions regarding budgeting and enrolment, as well as other matters. DHET rendered services on national examination and assessment, as it was also the Department’s function to support and administer examination processes. 

The main priorities for Programme 4 were to manage the curricular transformation of the college sector, which included provision for artisan training. DHET had to provide a credible examination system for the college and adult education sector. It also had to strengthen the relationship between colleges and employers, by bringing industries and companies to colleges. Finally, Programme 4 had also to improve student funding through NSFAS.

Programme 5 related to skills development and provided services around that topic. It was responsible for SETA coordination, the National Skills Fund (NSF) the Secretariat for the National Skills Authority (NSA) and human resource development for South Africa. The programme was also responsible for the Institute for National Development of Learnerships, Employment Skills and Labour (INDLELA).

Mr Mahlobo outlined some of the key priorities for Programme 5. The DHET had to provide a dynamic interface between workplaces and learning institutions, and to promote quality learning at work and for work. The Department also had to ensure successful implementation of the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS 3) via the SETAs and through collaboration with public institutions.

Mr Theuns Tredoux, Chief Financial Officer, DHET, then set out the budget. He explained that there was an increase in the 2011/12 MTEF allocations, when compared to the previous financial year. The Administration programme received the largest increases, as it catered for a number of centres and for physical structures, such as buildings, that were rented out. The Department’s budget had grown at an annual average rate of 12.4%. He referred Members to the DHET’s 2010/11 strategic plan, posted on its website). The Department had remained at the same level, regardless of the recession.

Discussion
The Chairperson reminded the delegates that the President said that all funded vacant posts had to be filled within three months. He wondered how the Department could achieve this, given the short space of time.

Mr Qonde explained that the Department had done scoping and had developed a strategy that dealt with filling the posts.

The Chairperson also noted that the delegation had not briefed the Committee on any of its achievements in the previous year.

Mr A van der Westhuizen (DA) expressed his concern that DHET was still busy redesigning the Department. He was also concerned about the number of acting posts in the Department.

Ms N Magazi (ANC) wanted clarity whether the DHET had used the standard format for its strategic plan report. She also raised her concern that the strategic plan document was too broadly stated, and had not mentioned the focus points of the Department.

Mr Qonde assured the Committee that the DHET had used the format that was prescribed by the National Treasury.

Ms N Vukuza-Linda (COPE) noted that she had worked for the Department in 1996, when the Department was focusing on funding models for historical disadvantaged institutions, so she was both surprised and disappointed that the Department was still promising to find a model for these institutions.

The Chairperson explained to the delegates that the Committee could not deal with the plan in the absence of specific targets being stated, as it would be impossible for the Committee to make a proper presentation to the House on the annual plan or report when it lacked this important and specific information. He also wanted clarity whether the Department was planning to have any regional offices in the provinces.

Mr Mahlolo assured the Committee that the DHET did have short and long term targets, although these had not been expressed specifically in the strategic plan.

Mr S Radebe (ANC) advised the Department to draw up an organogram, as other Governmental Departments had done, as soon as possible, and not to wait until August 2011, as stated on page 26 of the strategic plan presentation. He pointed out that this would be far too late, and that the Department should already have been planning. He proposed that the revised Strategic Plan should not be accepted by the Committee in its current format, but should be sent back to be redrawn, to add in the information that the Committee required.

Mr S Makhubela (ANC) seconded Mr Radebe’s proposal. He emphasised that the Department had to take its job seriously, and produce a strategic plan that was precise and contained specific information.

Mr Qonde said he was a little confused about the Committee’s request, informing the Committee that the operational plans were set out on page 82 of the strategic plan document.

Ms Vukuza-Linda briefly outlined what should be contained in a strategic plan. She indicated her dissatisfaction with the plan presented, and asked the delegates to elaborate on the innovations and research as stated on page 6 of the Strategic Plan.

Dr J Kloppers-Lourens (DA) agreed with Mr Qonde that the President, in the 2009 State of the Nation Address, had announced the split of the former Department of Education into two departments. However, two years later, the DHET should not be citing this as a remaining challenge. She asked the Department to provide the Committee with the necessary information on the issue of health of undergraduate students, and on the new universities that were to be built.

Ms Magazi wanted clarity as to whether DHET was meeting with the Department of Communication in regard to the introduction of information technology in libraries at universities, as stated on page 16 of the DHET’s strategic plan.

Mr A Mpontshane (IFP) asked how many offices were to be built with the resources that were currently available in the Department.

Mr Patel stated that building of regional offices was still at a transitional stage, but assured the Committee that indeed the Department would have offices.

Mr C Moni (ANC) also indicated his view that the final consideration of the DHET’s Strategic Plan had to be postponed until the Department provided the necessary information to the Committee.

Mr Makhubela explained that the Department had stated what it wished to achieve, but did not specify how it would in fact get to this point.

The Chairperson noted that most of the questions could not be answered by the delegates present at this meeting, and reiterated that the plan was too broad and lacked specifics. The Department was requested to add in the relevant information and to present the revised plan to the Committee on the following Wednesday. The Chairperson also expressed his concern that the Minister and the entities were not at this meeting.

The meeting was adjourned.