Higher Education A

2015-03-12

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION 1467

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/04/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 10 OF 2015)

Mr Y Cassim (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

(a) How many invoices from private contractors to his department currently remain unpaid for longer than 30 days and (b) in each case, what (i) are the details of the (aa) contractor and (bb) services provided and (ii) what is the (aa) date of the invoice and (bb) reason why the invoice was not paid within 30 days?

NW1680E

REPLY:

The responses to the questions above are tabulated below:

No	(i) (aa) Contractor	(bb) Services/Goods	(ii) (aa) Date Received	Amount	(bb) Reason why the invoice was not paid within 30 days
1	Bidvest Steiner	Services	01//11/2014	R 4 444.21	Incorrect invoicing from supplier.
2	Bidvest Steiner	Services	01/12/2014	R 4 444.21	Incorrect invoicing from supplier.
3	Intial Rentokil	Services	01/03/2015	R 28 216.52	Incorrect invoicing from supplier. Claim not in line with contract.
4	Proshield	Security	17/03/2015	R 66 621.60	The payment was withheld in consultation with service provider.
5	Specialised Skills Institute	Training	23/02/2015	R 53 865.00	The invoice was kept aside awaiting for budget and confirmation of banking details.
6	VW SA	Provision of Vehicles	27/01/2015	R 128 342.34	Banking details were not submitted. The banking details had to be verified and captured on the payment system.
7	Industrial General Distributors CC	Stationary	25/02/2015	R 5 965.00	Delay from the end user.
8	Pro-shield	Security Service	13/03/2015	R 66 621.60	Could not be settled, as full service was not rendered.
9	EZEVEE Computer Solution	Stationary	25/02/2015	R 11 499.73	The supplier was informed that the end-user was not satisfied with the services rendered, hence payment was withheld.
10	Zonke General Trading	Supply and Installation	17/03/2015	R 267 963.84	Services were partially completed. The supplier had to return to finalise work.
11	Chanti (Pty) Ltd	Travel & Accommodation	More than one invoice received	R 632 039.87	Contract with Chanti was terminated due to poor performance. An initial claim of R1 041 340.37 was lodged of which R409 300.50 was paid to date. With regards to outstanding claims, the following is reported: No supporting documents attached for an invoice for R289 502.99; No invoices received for R117 346.15; Dispute on invoice of R171.00; Claims with a total value of R224 113.36 were referred back to Chanti for amendment; and Payment in the amount of R906.37 is in process
Total				R 1 270 023.92

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION 1431

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/04/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 10 OF 2015)

Mr A M Figlan (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Does his Department have a Regulatory Burden Reduction strategy in place; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the strategy?

NW1644E

REPLY:

With regards to legislation, I have followed the principles of reducing regulatory burden by considering what impact, if any, will amendments to legislation have against the backdrop of existing legislation. Assessments are also considered against new policy principles relating to post-school education and training emanating from the Presidential Proclamations during 2009. Hence, most of the amendments to existing higher education and training legislation since 2010, were of a technical nature.

Reply received: May 2015

QUESTION 1396

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/04/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 10 OF 2015)

Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

(a) What number of (i) financial, (ii) forensic and/or (iii) other investigations that were commissioned by his department have been completed since 1 April 2013 and (b) in each case, what are the relevant details on the (i) investigation including a synopsis of the facts and findings of each case, (ii) persons or third parties responsible for each investigation, (iii) total cost to date of each investigation and (iv) appropriate steps taken against officials and third parties implicated of wrongdoing in the findings of the investigations?

NW1609E

REPLY:

(a) (i) None.

(ii) Two forensic investigations were commissioned, i.e. one in the Department and the other at the University of Limpopo.

(iii) None.

(b) (i) The relevant details on the investigation including a synopsis of the facts and findings of each case are as follows:

The Department of Higher Education and Training did not follow procurement processes, which led to irregular expenditure. The following are the findings of the forensic investigation:

Non-compliance with C.4.6 of the Code of Conduct for Public Service, 2001 – conflict of interest;
Failure to declare a gift;
Failure to comply with Paragraph 3 of the Supply Chain Management Delegations of the Department, dated 10 May 2011, which states that quotations can only be sourced from Supply Chain Management;
Failure to comply with Paragraph 1.3 of the Code of Conduct for Supply Chain Management Practitioners: accepted a quotation after the closing date;
Failure to comply with Section 3.3.3 of National Treasury Practice Note 8 of 2007/08 by not obtaining three quotations or reasons for sourcing only one quotation for the installation of security equipment were not provided;
Failure to comply with paragraph 3.5 of Practice Note No 8 of 2007/2008 and the Supply Chain Management policy of the Department;
Recommended payment prior to supply and installation of equipment; and
Failure to ensure that all goods were delivered prior to signing the invoice certifying that goods were delivered in the correct quantity and of the correct quality.

The Department directed the Council of the University of Limpopo to undertake a forensic investigation related to allegations of irregularities at the university as requested by the Limpopo Regional Office of the Public Protector in a letter submitted to the Department. The report contains allegations of irregularities relating to corruption, misappropriation of funds, maladministration, non-compliance to the procurement procedures, non-compliance to the selection and appointment procedures, manipulation in respect of the appointment of Council and Sub-Committee members of Council. The Chairperson of the Council conducted a forensic investigation into these allegations. An independent Forensic Auditor, Ernst & Young, was appointed to conduct the investigation based on two phases:

1st Phase: collation of information and determination of whether the allegations were worth investigating; and
2nd Phase: actual detailed investigation of individual allegations as determined, with conclusive recommendations to be considered by the Council of the University of Limpopo.

The following were revealed:

the investigation showed approximately ten finance related allegations where policies and procedures were not followed properly;
two criminal related issues;
five allegations were related to the Human Resource Department; and
Out of twenty-two allegations that were mentioned in the report, twelve sub-allegations were related to non-adherence to procurement policies and procedures.

(ii) Ernst and Young were appointed to conduct the investigation in the Department as well as the University of Limpopo.

(iii) The total cost for the Department to date was R242 067.76.

The total costs for both phases 1 and 2 amounted to R1 533 590.00 excluding VAT. The agreement with the University of Limpopo was that the Department contributes R750 000.00 whilst the University settles the remaining costs.

(iv) One Departmental official was suspended for a period of 3 months without salary, whereas the other official was issued with a final written warning.

The Council of the University of Limpopo was provided with an opportunity to respond to the findings of the forensic investigation and provide measures that would be taken within a period of thirty days. Their response was to be accompanied by a detailed rectification/improvement plan to be forwarded to me within fourteen (14) days from the date of receiving the letter.

The Council’s response to various issues was as follows:

Response on the Rectification/Improvement Plan: The University did not take steps against officials and third parties implicated by the investigation. They implemented their rectification plans as follows:

Procurement and finance related matters: The University invited external expertise to conduct a three-day workshop in an effort to review its Procurement Policy and Procedure Manual, and to produce a draft policy.
Human Resources Related Matters: The University requested the assistance of Microsoft Dynamics AX, a specialist company, to address the deficiency of processes. The University also established a special section responsible for developing policies, guidelines, processes and procedures on contract management and administration. In an effort to ensure the existence and sustainability of this section, a knowledge sharing three-day workshop was also held.
Oversight by Council and its Sub-Committees: The Council established some committees to ensure compliance on rules and regulations of the institution in terms of good governance. The Audit Committee of Council was tasked to investigate the validity of the allegations of an official who was alleged to have solicited a bribe. The Institution solicited legal advice from three different bodies with the third advice being sought from an Independent Forensic Auditor.

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION 1276

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/04/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 10 OF 2015)

Mr J J Mc Gluwa (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

What process is currently used by his department to verify teacher and nursing qualifications that were awarded before the year 1992, as there is a lack of digital records dating from that period?

NW1485E

REPLY:

The universities that offered the qualifications verify university teacher education qualifications. This includes qualifications from former Colleges of Education that were amalgamated with universities.

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) maintains records of teacher education qualifications awarded by the former Colleges of Education, which fell within the jurisdiction of the former Department of Education and Training (DET). Records of qualifications issued by former DET Colleges from 1988 to 2001 are electronically available, whilst records issued by former DET Colleges from 1970 to 1987 are also available, but not yet digitised.

The procedure of verifying a qualification by DHET is as follows:

The DHET must be provided with a formal letter requesting verification of the qualification and the following details must be provided in the letter of request:

Identity number of the qualification holder;
Full names and surname (Maiden surname in case of marriage);
Name of the institution and province where the qualification was obtained; and
The year of examination (final year).

A certified copy of the qualification to be verified must be attached to the request letter.
The verification request must be accompanied by proof of payment for the verification to be done.

Qualifications from former colleges that fell under the jurisdiction of the former Houses of Assembly, Delegates, Representatives, as well as homeland governments are held by the provincial departments in the provinces in which the respective colleges were located.

The Department of Health is responsible for the verification of nursing qualifications.

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION 1265

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17/04/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 10 OF 2015)

Mr W M Madisha (Cope) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Whether his department is giving priority to the (a) training and (b) apprenticeship of a wide range of artisans to meet the demand for skills (i) in the country and (ii) on the continent; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1473E

REPLY:

My Department places the utmost priority on training and in particular artisan training, since the establishment of the Department in 2009. Artisan training is currently offered across 125 different occupations as listed in Government Gazette No. 35625 dated 31 August 2012. The emphasis on artisan development by my Department has also been well supported at a high level advocacy programme, led by the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training which is known as the Decade of the Artisan. These initiatives have allowed us to increase the number of persons registering on artisan programmes from 16 000 per annum in 2007 to almost 30 000 per annum in the 2014/15 financial year. Most of these artisans are employed locally but since skilled artisans are required across the world, many of them also work in neighbouring African countries.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 1252

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 27/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 09 OF 2015)

Ms D Carter (Cope) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Whether an alternative national senior certificate with a unique curriculum for out-of-school candidates is being offered anywhere in the country as part of the restructured post-school education and training system; if not, why not; if so, (a) where is it being offered, (b) how many students have enrolled for it, (c) what number of students have written the exams and (d) who was the examining authority?

NW1461E

REPLY:

An alternative national senior certificate, i.e. National Senior Certificate for Adults (NASCA), with a unique curriculum for out-of-school candidates is currently being developed. Umalusi submitted the NASCA to the South African Qualifications Authority for registration in November 2013. Umalusi thereafter gazetted the NASCA policy in September 2014. I have since gazetted the draft NASCA subject statements (curriculum) in February 2015 for public comment. The implementation of NASCA will be subject to funding being made available through the Medium Term Expenditure Framework bid process.

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION 1167

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 27/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 09 OF 2015)

Mr Y Cassim (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

(a) How many sick leave days were taken by employees of his department in the 2013-14 financial years and (b) what was the total cost thereof in rand?

NW1368E

REPLY:

There were 7 058 sick leave days taken by employees in the Department during the 2013/14 financial year.
The total cost was R655 600.00

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION 1133

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 27/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 09 OF 2015)

Dr A Lotriet (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

(a) What amount did (i) his department and (ii) state entities reporting to him spend on each newspaper subscription in each month (aa) in the (aaa) 2011-12, (bbb) 2012-13 and (ccc) 2013-14 financial years and (bb) during the period 1 April 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) how many copies of each newspaper were ordered on each day of the week (i) in each specified financial year and (ii) during the period 1 April 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available?

NW1298E

REPLY:

The Department’s response on newspaper subscriptions is attached link as Annexure A. /files/RNW1133A-150421.pdf
At the time of compilation, eleven out of twenty-six entities responded to the request for information, with five entities indicating that they do not have any newspaper subscriptions. The responses from the six entities are attached as Annexure B. act persons: Ms LC Mbobo and Mr T Tredoux /files/RNW1133A-150421.pdf

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION 1098

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 27/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 09 OF 2015)

Mr Y Cassim (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

What amount did (a) his department and (b) entities reporting to him spend on advertising in The New Age newspaper in the (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14 financial years?

NW1263E

REPLY:

The spending of the Department and public entities on advertising in The New Age newspaper is tabulated below:

Amount spent on advertising	Financial Years
Amount spent on advertising	(i) 2011-12	(ii) 2012-13	(iii) 2013-14
Department	R0.00	R1 201 549.86	R755 708.08
Public Entities	R0.00	R37 363.20	R141 823.98

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 1047

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Has he received a letter of complaint from unionised staff members of the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA); if so,
what steps he intends taking with regard to the complaints that include, that (a) a certain person (name furnished), after having been suspended, has now returned and is allegedly conducting a vendetta against board and staff members, (b) the person’s history and behaviour being questionable and that nothing has been done about correcting it, (c) former employees that were dismissed for corruption appear to be candidates for jobs in SASSETA and (d) numerous complaints have been submitted to the Director-General but no action has been taken?

NW1207E

REPLY:

Neither I nor my Department is aware of a letter of complaint from unionised staff members of the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority.
Not applicable.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 1045

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

In respect of the Nkungumathe Youth Development Forum (041.539-NPO), (a) what is the forum’s (i) location, (ii) role and (iii) purpose, (b) what are the (i) names and (ii) designations of the people who manage the organisation, (c) has the forum ever received funding from the (i) the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority and/or (ii) the National Skills Fund; if so, in each case, (aa) what was the procedure through which the decision was made to fund this organisation, (bb) how much was received, (cc) in which year(s) was it given and (dd) for what purposes was it given, and (d)(i) what were the deliverables promised in exchange for the funding and (ii) were they delivered?

NW1205E

REPLY:

(i) Nkungumathe Area, Ward 1: Mpungose Traditional Authority

(ii) Non-governmental Organisation (NGO)

(iii) The purpose of this NGO is to develop youth, women and the community in the following areas:

Skills Development;
Social Development;
Sports; and
Mobilise Infrastructure Development for the community.

The names and designations of the managers of the organisation are tabulated below:

(i) Name	(ii) Designation
Mr Mthokozisi Mcdonald Mchunu	Chairperson
Ms Fikile Clearance Magubane	Secretary
Mr Thabani Percival Mhlongo	Treasurer
Mr Thabani Sethembiso Ntombela	Additional Member
Mr Wellington Sbangani Mkhwanazi	Additional Member

(i) No. The forum has not received funding from the Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority.

(ii) Yes. The forum has received funding from the National Skills Fund (NSF).

(aa) The NSF considers proposals received in response to a Request for Proposals (RFP), unsolicited proposal and community outreach (developmental approach), with the latter approach targeting rural communities, most of whom have not significantly benefitted from previous training interventions. The NSF evaluated and approved the Nkungumathe proposal on the strength of its focus on rural youth. Some of the criteria used by the NSF to evaluate proposals received includes:

The proposal must support the implementation of the provincial government’s growth, development strategies and national priorities;
The proposal should demonstrate appropriate implementation experience and capacity;
There must be robust governance, monitoring and evaluation systems in place;
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) should be promoted with regard to procurement, i.e. project management, service providers, amongst others, where such is necessary;
The proposal should meet the equity objectives of the third National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS III);
The project should be implemented in a single or multi-year, and not exceed a period of three years;
Should demonstrate support and endorsement by relevant stakeholders (Government, national departments, Sector Education and Training Authorities, stakeholders, community, beneficiary community); and
There should be an exit strategy into employment, self-employment, community service and further education.

(bb) Nkungumathe Youth Development Forum received R29 240 200.00.

(cc) Funding was split as follows:

Year	Amount	Project status
2012 - 2013	R6 930 000.00	Completed
2014 - 2016	R22 310 200.00	Active
Total	R29 240 200.00

(dd) Nkungumathe was funded for the development of unemployed learners through various training interventions, i.e. adult learners through adult education and training, and training for Mathematics and Science teachers.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 909

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08 OF 2015)

Mr T W Mhlongo (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

What amount was spent by (a) his department and (b) state entities reporting to him on (i) tickets and (ii) sponsorships on The New Age Breakfast Briefings for the last three financial years?

NW1058E

REPLY:

The expenditure of the Department and entities reporting to the Department, on tickets and sponsorships on The New Age Breakfast briefings for the last three financial years is tabulated below:

Financial Year	Department		Entities
Financial Year	Tickets	Sponsorships	Tickets	Sponsorships
2011/12	R0.00	Not Applicable	R0.00	R0.00
2012/13	R0.00		R 89 528.50	R0.00
2013/14	R 28 522.80		R 106 609.90	R 79 218.15
TOTAL	R 28 522.80		R 196 138.40	R 79 218.15

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION 874

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER; 20/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 08 OF 2015)

Mr A G Whitfield (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

(1) Whether his department or the entities reporting to him provides any type of sponsorships; if not, what is his department's position in this regard; if so, (a) what are the details of each sponsorship, (b) what is the value of each sponsorship, (c) when were each of these sponsorship deals undertaken and (d) when will each of the sponsorship deals end;

(2) whether his department or any of the entities reporting to him intends to enter into any type of sponsorship deal or contract in the (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17 financial years; if not. why not; if so, (i) with whom will each sponsorship deal or contract be made, (ii) what will the terms of each of the sponsorship deals or contracts be, (iii) when will each of the sponsorship deals or contracts (aa) commence and (bb) end and (iv) what is the value of each of the sponsorship deals or contracts?
NW1023E
REPLY:

(1) No, the Department does not provide sponsorships.

(a) Not applicable.
(b) No! applicable.
(c) Not applicable

(2) No, the Department does not intend to enter into any type of sponsorship deal or contract in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial year since the provision of sponsorship deals or contracts is not an objective of the Department.

The response on public entities is attached as Annexure A.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 801

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 13/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 07 OF 2015)

Mr N L S Kwankwa (UDM) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

In light of the continuing multi challenges of the higher education sector such as unequal access, inadequate funding with annually increasing tuition fees, student success rate, alleged or reported racism incidents in historical advantaged institutions and gender parity, (a) what is he doing to fast track the process of transformation of the higher education sector to achieve the socio-economic targets of the National Development Plan;
what are the (a) current priorities of his department and (b) targets thereof?

NW951E

REPLY:

In April 2013, I appointed the Transformation Oversight Committee with a mandate to, amongst others, suggest a reporting mechanism by institutions on the set institutional and national transformation targets and benchmarks; to identify best practices and challenges in the area of transformation policies and practices; and to advise on policies and strategies for the promotion of transformation.

My Department is convening a meeting with the Chairpersons of all Institutional Forums, with a view of formulating a strategy to strengthen the capacity of their mandate regarding transformation in institutions.

Equally important to driving and fast-tracking the transformation agenda is guarding the quality of teaching, learning, research and innovation, which are at the centre of the core business of higher education institutions.

In fast-tracking the transformation agenda through teaching, learning, and innovation, some of the key projects/priorities that my Department is focusing upon, includes:

the introduction of the Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs) Development Grant of R410 million per annum for five years from 2015/16 to 2020/21 to assist eight HDI universities in funding projects that will, amongst others, help improve their financial challenges;
continued support through the Department's Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant for infrastructure needs, more specifically student housing and backlog maintenance. In the past infrastructure cycle, my Department allocated R1,6 billion towards student housing and the support of increasing the number of beds will continue. A student housing symposium will be held around the end of May 2015 to engage with different stakeholders on the possibilities of leveraging additional funding for student housing;
the introduction of the Staffing of South African Universities Framework (SSAUF) to respond to the staffing challenges in the higher education sector in terms of the size, composition and capacity of its academic staff. The challenges are multi-faceted, having to do with the slow pace of regeneration and transformation in the sector, the ageing workforce, developments in higher education worldwide that demand ever greater levels of expertise from staff, and the relatively low number of academic staff with doctorates. The first phase of the SSAUF is being implemented in 2015, and involves the recruitment of approximately 150 young academics into the “New Generation of Academics Programme” (nGAP) and supporting their development through the Staffing of South African Universities Development Programme (SSAU-DP). The target for each intake of nGAP posts is that 80% of the posts be filled by black South Africans and women on the basis of clearly articulated equity plans, sustainability measures and staffing needs;
the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and the Department are exploring other funding sources with the Public Investment Commission and Government Employees Pension Fund to assist public servants with financial aid for their children. Other stakeholders such as Unemployment Insurance Fund will also be approached;
other existing earmarked grants such as the Foundation Provision Grant will increase substantially in 2015/16 to help a greater number of underprepared students with an extended curriculum, with the aim of improving their success rates;
the revision of the Funding Framework for Universities. Already the current funding framework has an institutional grant that provides more funding for universities with a bigger quantum of disadvantaged students and smaller universities; and
the Department will continue to bid for additional funding for higher education through the MTEF budget process.

My Department is considering the establishment of a sub-directorate within the University Education Branch that will deal with transformation issues in the university sector, and work closely with the Transformation Oversight Committee in fulfilling its mandate to monitor progress on transformation in public universities; advise on policies to combat racism and other forms of unfair discrimination; and to promote social cohesion.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 735

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 13/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 07 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Whether he will provide the 2008 Audit Report of the Council for Higher Education for the University of KwaZulu-Natal?

NW883E

REPLY:

I am not the legal authority responsible for institutional audits undertaken by the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Only the CHE Board has the authority to release an Audit Report, which may be done upon approval thereof.

With reference to the 2008 Institutional Audit of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the CHE Board did not approve or release an Institutional Audit Report.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 734

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 13/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 07 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

With reference to the East Cape technical and vocational education and training (TVET) strike, what (a) plans has his department put in place to help end the unprotected strike at the TVET, (b) is the cost of the damage done to property in the course of the strike and (c) is the total amount spent to date on private security procured by management;
whether a forensic audit was conducted into the specified college; if so, what (a) were its findings (i) generally and (ii) specifically relating to office bearers within the college, (b) were the recommendations of the forensic audit and (c) are the full relevant details with regard to implementing the recommendations?

NW882E

REPLY:

(a) The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has ensured that Eastcape

Midlands Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college (EMC) Management engaged competent labour law advisors and followed recommendations as they pertain to the actions prescribed in the Labour Relations Act with regards to unprotected strikes. Furthermore, the Department and EMC Governing Council have instructed Management to invite the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) to an independently facilitated workshop in an attempt to improve relations and to set ground rules with the union as the way forward. The instruction is that the relationship building effort runs parallel with the legal process as guided by the labour law advisors.

However, the union insisted on referring to the workshop as a “mediation” workshop and revised the agenda with an addition to address matters of the dismissed employees and pending action against shop stewards. As legal processes may not continue whilst mediation is underway, we believe that this was an unfortunate attempt by NEHAWU to halt or significantly delay the legal processes agreed to by the Department and the EMC Governing Council. The EMC Governing Council and Management have assured the Department that they are still willing and available to discuss any matters and procedures to improve industrial relations and restore teaching and learning at the college providing it does not derail the legal process.

(b) The college together with an insurance assessor are in the process of assessing the total

cost of damage, and will be able to confirm actual costs once all campuses have been visited.

(c) The Department, for the period 15 January 2015 to date, approved and supported the request of the College that an amount of R1.75 million be spent to procure specialised security services in order to protect students, non-striking staff members and property. It is noteworthy that the safety of all college stakeholders is paramount as it employs approximately 426 employees and has approximately 10 000 students.

(a) Yes, the Department through the offices of Deloitte initiated a forensic audit on specific matters within the college. The initial scope of the audit included allegations of corrupt practices and maladministration.

Deloitte reported back to the Department after which the scope of the audit was extended based on certain initial preliminary findings emanating from Phase 1 of the investigation.
On 5 August 2014, the Principal of the college was placed on precautionary suspension due to intimidation of staff during the execution of the forensic investigation.

(b) and (c) The Principal and two additional employees applied to the High Court in Port Elizabeth for an interdict to halt the publication and any disciplinary actions arising from matters contained in the report from Deloitte. The urgent application was granted by the High Court and the Department had to temporarily stop the investigation. The main application was heard in the High Court in February 2015 and the Department is expecting the judgement in mid-April 2015.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 679

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 13/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 07 OF 2015)

Mr A M Mpontshane (IFP) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

How many lecturers from the Coastal KZN TVET College are being paid monthly salaries but are still sitting at home;
what steps is his department going to take to ensure that (a) lecturers are back on the campus and (b) those who are still not back on campus do not continue to receive salaries;
are there other colleges that are in a similar situation as the Coastal KZN TVET College; if so, how many staff members are affected?

NW825E

REPLY:

There are no lecturers from the Coastal Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College inactive at home, whilst receiving monthly salaries.
Not applicable.
There are TVET colleges where employees are on suspension or at home due to ill health. Detailed information is tabulated below:

No. of Colleges Affected	Suspension	At home due to ill health	Total
10	-	42	42
14	30	-	30

NB: A college may have employees at home due to both suspension and ill health.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 547

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 05 OF 2015)

Ms J Steenkamp (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Whether any employees in his department have been on suspension with full salary since 1 January 2014; if so, (a) how many employees and (b) what is the total cost thereof?

NW627E

REPLY:

There are no suspended employees within the Department of Higher Education and Training.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 525

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 05 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Whether the cost of the next generation of academics scheme has been determined; if not, why not; if so, (a) what is the cost of its implementation, (b) over how many years will it be implemented, (c) at what cost will it be implemented in each year and (d) where will the funding be sourced from, including (i) how much each university will be required to contribute and (ii) how much his department will contribute;
With regard to the funding to be contributed by his department, (a) whether a conditional grant will be provided to universities and (b) from which line item of the department’s MTEF budget will the scheme be funded?

NW605E

REPLY:

The cost of the scheme has been determined, although it is expected that there will be individual fluctuations depending on disciplinary needs (for example, infrastructural costs are higher for staff in Physics than in Sociology) and degree registrations (for instance, a New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP) staff member registered for a PhD at a university outside the country may have higher study-related costs than a staff member registered at her/his home institution).

Budgeting is reported below for a single nGAP post, in 2015 in Rand value. It should be noted that the nGAP scheme spans six years for each cohort intake. Since staff members are appointed on a permanent basis from the outset, full costs are borne by institutions after the six years.

The Department of Higher Education and Training will meet salary costs as follows: R400 000 for each of the first three years, R300 000 for the fourth year, R200 000 for the fifth year, and R100 000 for the sixth year. Essentially, the contribution of the Department for salary costs over six years is R1 800 000. Over this period, universities will pay R600 000 for salary costs made up as follows: R100 000 in the fourth year, R200 000 in the fifth year and R300 000 in the sixth year.

In addition to salary costs, nGAP appointees will be required to participate in an aligned and compulsory Development Programme. For each nGAP appointee, the estimated costs of the Development Programme are as follows:

Short courses and workshops on teaching and research development: R40 000 for each of the first three years, i.e. R120 000 over the full programme.
Remuneration of a mentor for each nGAP post holder: R20 000 for each of the first four years, i.e. R80 000 over the full programme.
Participation in a local or international conference or workshop: a contribution of R20 000 per post (once off).
A contribution to PhD fees of R45 000 per nGAP post over the full programme.
Infrastructure and equipment: R120 000 over the full six years (i.e. a contribution of approximately R20 000 per annum per post).

The full costs of each nGAP post for the six year period amounts to R2 785 000. Of this, DHET will contribute R2 185 000, and the university R600 000. After the six year period, when nGAP staff members will be fully fledged members of staff with regular academic loads, universities will bear all costs.

The duration of the programme is six years for each entering cohort. It is expected that there will be an annual intake, until such time as the equity and capacity needs of the higher education sector have been adequately addressed.
Refer to 1(a) above
There are existing DHET programmes that have the same developmental aims as the nGAP, namely: the Teaching and Research Development Grant. The introduction of the nGAP provides the opportunity to better and more coherently steer the use of a portion of these funds. Therefore, for the first intake (2015), funds to support the full six year programme have been allocated from Teaching and Research Development Grant allocations, where developmental aims are cognate. However, it is recognised that to support greater numbers each year and reach the target of an intake of 400 each year, additional funds will need to be sourced. In this regard, partnerships are being sought with other agencies that also have similar developmental goals, such as the Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA), National Skills Fund, National Research Foundation, Department of Science and Technology and a range of philanthropies and international donors, under the principle that a coordinated approach to addressing the staffing challenge at universities is likely to have a greater impact than individual organisations working in isolation to address this issue.

(i) The university at which the appointment is made will contribute R600 000 per nGAP appointee over the 6 years for the 2015 cohort of nGAP appointees.

(ii) DHET will contribute R2 185 000 per nGAP appointee over six years for the 2015 cohort of nGAP appointees. 150 appointments are targeted in the first cohort.

As described in 1(d) above, DHET will allocate funds from existing programmes, specifically the Teaching Development Grant, and to a smaller extent the Research Development Grant, for the implementation of Phase 1 of the nGAP. These funds will be allocated as earmarked grants to be specifically used for the appointment, support and development of the nGAP appointees. Contracts will be put in place to ensure effective use of the funds, and this programme will be managed and closely monitored over its duration.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 524

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/03/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 05 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

With reference to his reply to question 322 on 27 February 2015, (a) what was the total cost of the expenses incurred and (b) which formations did he (i) meet with and (ii) address in addition to those that make up the Education Alliance?

NW604E

REPLY:

(a) The total cost of the expenses incurred was R54 986.00

(b) I met and addressed the following formations:

Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO)
Democratic Alliance Youth (DAY)
Higher Education South Africa (HESA)
National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)
Higher Education Transformation Network (HETN)
South African Student Union (SAUS)
South African Further Education Student Association (SAFETSA)
National Youth Development Agency (NYDA)
Progressive Professional Forum (PPF)
Pan Africanist Student Movement (PASMA)
South African Democratic Student Movement (SADESMO)
Council on Higher Education (CHE)

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 436

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 27/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 04 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

How many certificates are outstanding as at 23 February 2015 for (a) three months and (b) six months and longer for students who have completed their studies for each (i) sector education and training authority (SETA) and (ii) technical and vocational education and training college (TVET), including the former further education and training colleges;
when will these (a) certificate backlogs be rectified and (b) certificates be provided;
(a) from which individual (a) SETA and (b) TVET college are these certificates outstanding and (b) how many certificates are outstanding in each case?

NW512E

REPLY:

(a) (i) As at 23 February 2015 there are 14 142 Sector Education and Training Authorities’

(SETAs) certificates outstanding for three months.

(ii) As at February 2015, there are no Technical and Vocational Education and Training

(TVET) college (former further education and training colleges) certificates

outstanding for a three months period.

(b) (i) 20 105 SETAs’ certificates are outstanding.

(ii) For a six-month period and longer, there is a total of 162 884 National Certificate

Vocational (NC(V)) certificates outstanding at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. The following is a detailed account of certificates issued and outstanding.

All NC(V) candidates who wrote and passed all 7 subjects on a level during a single November examination cycle, since the introduction of the programme in 2007 up until 2013, have been certificated. Similarly, candidates who wrote supplementary examinations in 2008 – 2012 have also been certificated. Due to a data consolidation challenge on the examinations information technology (IT) system, which still needs to be resolved by the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), NC(V) candidates who wrote supplementary examinations in 2013 and 2014 have yet to be certificated.
There are still groups of NC(V) candidates who wrote and passed the required 7 subjects per level across more than one examination cycle during the period November 2007 to November 2013 who have not yet been certificated due to a data consolidation challenge, which affects their specific candidate records on the examinations IT system. In most instances, this is related to an error in the indicator appearing on the record which if incorrectly programmed, does not pick up the affected candidate’s record as part of the certification dataset. The system needs to consolidate candidate data across different examination cycles to determine whether and when a candidate meets the requirements for certification as the affected candidates have needed more than one cycle to complete a qualification, i.e. they did not pass all of the subjects required for the qualification in one examination cycle.

The tables below provide an indication of the number of NC(V) certificates yet to be processed as part of the Department-Umalusi backlog project spanning November 2007 to Supplementary 2012.

The following certificates have yet to be issued for the backlog project (November 2007 - Supplementary 2012):

Exam Cycle	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Total
200711	18			18
200803	141			141
200811	84	341		425
200903	383	436		819
200911	986	1 605	52	2 643
201003	717	423	7	1 147
201011	1 994	3 320	495	5 809
201103	1 033	582	146	1 761
201111	1 679	4 162	2 437	8 278
201203	886	1 523	1 119	3 528
Total	7 921	12 392	4 256	24 569

Examination cycles have been conducted beyond the backlog project period and the following certificates have yet to be issued post the Supplementary 2012 examination cycle (November 2012 - Supplementary 2014):

Exam Cycle	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Total
201211	17 394	11 581	8 942	37 917
201303	14 362	9 588	6 114	30 064
201311	15 322	15 421	11 032	41 775
201403	13 793	9 553	5 213	28 559
Total	60 871	46 143	31 301	138 315

A joint process between the Department and Umalusi is being undertaken to clear the backlog.

SETAs committed to clear the backlog ranging between 3 to 6 months. The reasons for the backlog are mainly attributed to inadequate Management Information system at SETAs and the change of legislation related to artisan certification. It is also important to note that that the Safety and Security SETA and Local Government SETA are under Administration and part of the work assigned to the administrators is to address such issues.

The Department has committed to clear the backlog ranging between 3 to 9 months. The reasons for the backlog are mainly attributed to inadequate capacity at the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and the challenges experienced on the examinations IT system due to this.

The table below includes outstanding certificates per SETA:

SETA	Outstanding Certificates for 3 months	Outstanding Certificates for six months	Outstanding Certificates for longer than six months	Total Number of Outstanding Certificates
AGRISETA	102	84	25	211
CATHSSETA	0	0	17	17
EWSETA	300	0	0	300
FOODBEV	142	6	0	148
SERVICES	2 184	5 207	0	7 391
CETA	1 891	0	0	1 891
FP&MSETA	143	131	0	274
HWSETA	0	371	0	371
LGSETA	0	0	31	31
MERSETA	424	1 222	0	1 646
MQA	228	0	0	228
SASSETA	7 602	7 152	4 647	19 401
ETDP SETA	311	352	0	663
TETA	815	80	780	1 675
TOTAL	14 142	14 605	5 500	34 247

All 50 public TVET colleges are affected by the NC(V) certification backlog as the system has been unable to consolidate certificates for candidates who have completed an NC(V) qualification across more than one academic year.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 435

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 27/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 04 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Whether his department has provided any financial or other support to the Higher Education Transformation Network; if so, (a) in which financial years, (b) what are the details of the support provided and (c)(i) what was the financial value and (ii) from which budget line item was the amount paid for the support provided in the specified financial years?

NW511E

REPLY:

The Department had neither provided financial nor other support to the Higher Education Transformation Network.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 434
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 27/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 04 OF 2015)
Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

(1) With reference to his reply to question 2663 on 9 December 2014, what are the names and relevant details of each of the 164 specific and individual projects the national skills fund supported in the 2013-14 financial year;

(2) what was the (a) budget and (b) amount spent in each case;

(3) in each specified case, (a) what (i) detailed predetermined set of objectives were the applications judged against and (ii) individual targets were (aa) set and (bb) met for each project and (b)(i) what are the details of the (aa) expenditure monitored and (bb) surpluses returned in each specified case and (ii) how was overspending dealt with;

(4) were the projects audited; if so, in each specified case for each of the 164 specific and individual projects what (a) were the findings of the audit, (b) were the recommendations and (c) actions has he taken in this regard?
NW510E

REPLY:
(1) and (2) The attached list comprises of the names, relevant details, budget and amount spent on each of the 164 projects supported by the National Skills Fund in the 2013/14 financial year.

(3) and (4) Please refer to my response to question 2663

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 323

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 2 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Whether the forensic report into the issues of misconduct and the report on allegations of sexual harassment at the University of Venda involving certain persons (names and details furnished) has been completed; if not, when is it expected to be completed; if so, (a) when was the report completed and (b) what were its findings;
whether he will make the report available; if so, (a) when and (b) through what channel? NW348E

REPLY:

I am not aware of any forensic audit that was performed at the University of Venda. My Department has certainly not instituted one. However, an investigative report from the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) on the allegations of sexual harassment of Professor Thidziambi Tshivhase-Phendla by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Mbati, was sent to me by the Interim Chairperson of the Council of University of Venda. According to the report, Professor Tshivhase-Phendla approached the Commission with the complaint which then led to the CGE conducting the investigation.
The onus to release the investigative report rests with the Council and/or the Commission for Gender Equality.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 322

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 2 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

With reference to his meeting with the Education Alliance in January 2015, (a) when was the meeting requested, (b) who requested the meeting, (c) where was the meeting held, (d) what expenses were incurred by his department to hold and attend the meeting and (e) what budget line item was this paid from;
whether he will be addressing other formations in the education sector who hold views that might differ from those of the Education Alliance?

NW347E

REPLY:

a) 16 January 2015

b) I convened the meeting

c) The meeting was held at the University of Johannesburg, School of Tourism.

d) Catering expenses were incurred.

e) Ministry’s budget

Yes. The views of all formations within the post-school education and training sector were addressed on the same day.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 321

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 2 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

With reference to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, what was the total amount (a) budgeted, (b) spent in total and (c) awarded to students for the programme (i) in the (aa) 2012-2013 and (bb) 2013-2014 financial years and (ii) from 1 April 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;
how many students (a) applied for awards, (b) received awards and (c) qualified for awards but received no or partial funding due to a shortage of funds (i) in the (aa) 2012-2013 and (bb) 2013-2014 financial years and (ii) from 1 April 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;
what amount would have been required to fund all qualifying applicants (a) in the (i) 2012-2013 and (ii) 2013-2014 financial years and (b) from 1 April 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;
what (a) number of students were provided awards and (b) amount of funding for each student was provided for each (i) institution, (ii) degree or qualification and (iii) degree or qualification for each year group (aa) in the (aaa) 2012-2013 and (bbb) 2013-2014 financial years and (bb) from 1 April 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;
what (a) number of students were provided awards and (b) amount of funding for each student was provided for each year group, including (i) first year (ii) second year, (iii) third year, (iv) honours, (v) masters, (vi) PHD, (vii) diploma and (viii) post graduate diploma (aa) in the (aaa) 2012-2013 and (bbb) 2013-2014 financial years and (bb) from 1 April 2014 up to the latest specified date for which information is available?

NW346E

REPLY:

The response to Question 1 is tabulated below:

Year	(a) Actual Budget	(b) Total Spent	(c) Total Student Awards*	No of Students Supported
(i) aa 2012/13	R7,439,417,000.00	R7,830,040,823.00	R 7,710,870,823.03	382 943
(i) bb 2013/14	R8,022,520,000.00	R8,819,192,578.00	R 8,701,405,577.52	416 180
(ii) ** 2014/15	R8,375,767,000.00	R9,037,044,003.25	R 8,919,052,501.25	409 475

Notes:

* NSFAS received additional funding from other donors such as the Sector Education and Training Authorities and the National Skills Fund, which were not included in the original budget.

** 2014 – Figures as at 26 February 2015 - NSFAS is still finalising the claims for the 2014 academic year

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) does not currently maintain data on the number of students who have applied for awards at all institutions. It is only with respect to the institutions that are in the Pilot project for the implementation of the new student centred model, where students apply directly to NSFAS, that such information is available.

The pilot has been implemented for the 2014 academic year and the information required is as follows:

111 368 students at the pilot institutions applied for funding;
65 941 students were funded,
33 659 students were not funded - 33 079 of these students qualified for awards but received no funding.

In general, institutions receive applications for funding, process these applications, make the awards and only submit the claims to NSFAS. However, institutions are required to maintain all their applications data. NSFAS has undertaken to source the relevant data from institutions and forward a complete response to this Question to the Minister by 31st March 2015.

(a) (i) and (ii) NSFAS does not currently maintain the data required to respond to Question 3 for all institutions. Institutions receive applications and process the applications for funding and only submit the claims for students awarded loans to NSFAS. However, NSFAS has undertaken to source the relevant data and provide the Minister with a complete response to this question by 31st March 2015. Data may be provided for the 2014 academic year for the institutions in the Pilot of the new NSFAS model as displayed in the Table below.

(b) The amount required for the 2014 academic year at pilot institutions is R1 762 599 807, calculated as R1 135 065 570 (funded) and R 627 534 237 (shortfall).

Table 1: Amount required to fund all qualifying students at five pilot institutions for 2014

Institution	Applicants	Students Funded	Rejected	Did Not Qualify	Qualified BUT Rejected	Total Cost Funded	Average Cost Of Study	Cost of Shortfall
Durban University of Technology	13 428	7 223	4 597	41	4 556	242 538 813	33 578.68	152 984 470.72
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan	10 683	5 707	3 999	35	3 964	255 479 620	44 766.01	177 452 464.29
Sol Plaatje University	80	80	0	0	0	4 392 200	54 902.50	-
University of Mpumalanga	73	73	0		0	3 285 826	45 011.32	-
University of South Africa	35 071	23 199	9 564	223	9 341	346 293 203	14 927.07	139 433 803.58
University of Venda	12 665	7 566	4 226	12	4 214	283 075 908	37 414.21	157 663 478.23
Totals	72 000	43 848	22 386	311	22 075	R1 135 065 570	R230 599.79	R627 534 216.82

(a)The data has been extracted from the NSFAS system for each learner. It is not possible to provide this data in printed form, as it is a large dataset. However, the information may be made available as a .csv file through a Secure File Transport Protocol (SFTP) or provided onto a Compact Disc (CD). NSFAS will deliver the data in the form required. It should be noted that no individual personal information can be provided and all Identity Document and Student numbers will be deleted from the files.

Please see response to Question 4. The same data extract as for Question 4 contains the required data for this Question 5 and may be made available as a .csv file through SFTP or provided onto a CD, as appropriate. NSFAS will deliver the data once the preferred format is indicated.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 249

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 2 OF 2015)

Mr M S Mbatha (EFF) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

What measures is he taking to ensure that universities, particularly a certain university (name furnished), transform, where out of a staff complement of over one thousand professors, only just over 40 are black?

NW268E

REPLY

The Department of Higher Education and Training has developed a "Staffing South Africa's Universities" Framework (SSAUF) to respond to the staffing challenges in the higher education sector in terms of the size, composition and capacity of its academic staff. The challenges are multi-faceted, concerning the slow pace of regeneration and transformation in the sector, the ageing workforce, developments in higher education worldwide that demand ever greater levels of expertise from staff, and the relatively low number of academic staff with doctorates.

The SSAUF will be a key vehicle to contribute to staffing transformation at universities and will prioritise the development of new black and/or women academics.

The SSAUF recognizes that in order to comprehensively address the staffing challenge, leverage points along the entire pathway for the development of new academics must be targeted. The SSAUF sets up five programmes to do this - three core programmes linked to the academic development pathway and two cross-cutting support programmes.

The three core SSAUF programmes are:

the Nurturing Emerging Scholars Programme (NESP), which will identify students who are beginning to demonstrate academic ability at relatively junior levels (senior undergraduate or honours), and who might be lost to the system unless structured, attractive prospects and opportunities are available and active recruitment efforts are undertaken;
the New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP), which will recruit new academics against carefully designed and balanced equity considerations and in light of the disciplinary areas of greatest need, drawing from promising current senior post-graduate students or past students who hold appropriate post-graduate degrees and have ambitions or can be attracted to become academics. This group of current students/post-graduates will form the major cohort of what the SSAUF calls nGAP Scholars; and
the Existing Academics Capacity Enhancement Programme (EACEP), which will support the development of existing university academics, for example, through support to complete their doctoral studies or to address specific gaps with respect to teaching and research development, and community engagement.

Cutting across and supporting these three programmes are the following two initiatives:

the Supplementary Staff Employment Programme (SSEP), which will enable universities to recruit, in a temporary capacity, specific skills on a needs basis to address specific gaps as the overall staffing challenge is being addressed, and to support the implementation of other SSAUF programmes underway at the university; and
the Staffing South Africa's Universities Development Programme (SSAU-DP), which cuts across the three core programmes and supports academic staff development needs in each programme. The SSAU-DP has a focus on all the roles that academics need to fulfil, and at the beginning stages focuses particularly on teaching and research development. Key elements of the SSAU-DP are (in addition to PhD study) the provision of a mentor, participation in a range of short courses that address important teaching and research development issues, and an international mobility experience.

Whilst it is recognized that the SSAUF will achieve maximum impact when all the programmes associated with it are rolled out on a suitable scale, the SSAUF is set out in a manner that enables programmes to be rolled out individually or collectively, as funding allows.

The first phase of the SSAUF is being implemented in 2015, and involves the recruitment of approximately 150 young academics into the nGAP and supporting their development through the SSAU-DP.

Key differences between the nGAP and previous small-scale, largely donor funded ‘next generation' projects are that the nGAP comprises of permanent posts from the outset, which will undoubtedly reduce attrition, and the fact that the nGAP is a national, large-scale initiative that will when fully implemented, draw up to 400 young academics into the higher education system annually.

The target for each intake of nGAP posts is that 80% of the posts be filled by black South Africans women on the basis of clearly articulated equity plans, sustainability measures and staffing need.

The Department believes that the nGAP project, along with other components of the SSAUF, will contribute greatly to ensuring that all universities in South Africa will have rapidly growing numbers of black academics.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 248

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 20/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 2 OF 2015)

Mr M S Mbatha (EFF) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

How does his department plan to assist students who passed matric in 2014 and have not been admitted to institutions of higher learning?

NW267E

REPLY:

The Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) have set aside 37 423 learning programme opportunities in the form of 3 380 apprenticeships, 4 513 bursaries and 29 530 learnerships wherein the class of 2014 can benefit. These opportunities are also available to both learners who passed matric but were not admitted to institutions of higher learning as well as those who did not pass matric.

Furthermore, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), through SETAs and the National Skills Fund, has committed over R1.7 billion in the 2015/16 financial year to opportunities in artisan fields that will result in grants for over 16 250 artisan learners. These opportunities are available to students who have not been admitted to the institutions of higher learning.

Matriculants who meet the requirements and have an inclination to become an artisan, e.g. a motor mechanic, plumber, electrician, chef, hairdresser, amongst others, may register with the National Artisan Development Support Centre (NADSC). The following contact details may be utilised by learners who wish to register for these opportunities at NADSC, i.e. website: http://nadsc.dhet.gov.za, Call Centre on 011 736 4400 or by e-mailing copies of qualifications to [email protected]. SETAs learning programme opportunities may be accessed by contacting the relevant SETA (Contact details are available on the DHET’s website: www.dhet.gov.za)

It is also important to note that my Department is not only assisting learners who passed matric, but provides opportunities to learners who failed, so they may increase their skills capabilities and are be able to participate meaningfully in the labour market.

My Department has also established the Central Application Clearing House (CACH) to assist matriculants who have not applied or have been declined by institutions. This service is open to capture information of prospective applicants in January and February of each year, and is geared to redirect prospective applicants throughout the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) system to institutions where spaces are still available. The CACH process entails the validation of the prospective applicant’s results against the Department of Basic Education and Independent Examination Board examination data, in order to validate information. Once validated, this information is sent to each university, TVET college as well as SETA on a weekly basis. The purpose of this is to ensure that any possible space in the entire PSET system identified by institutions which is unfilled may be offered to a prospective applicant in his or her field of study.

The CACH service is in its 3rd year of operation and is expanding constantly. In 2013, the placement ratio for CACH was 7% and increased to 21% in 2014. While this growth in the service is moderate, it will continue to expand each year through intensified interaction with institutions. Many universities are no longer accepting late applicants and some are now referring all their late applications to the CACH service to be redirected to other educational opportunities.

The expansion of the service brought in 30% more prospective applicants in 2014 compared to the previous year. It is now the function of the CACH service to continue to formalize the interaction between institutions within the PSET system.

It should also be noted that the trend at the beginning of each academic year is that matriculants who have passed first attempt to enter into universities; in instances where universities are full, study opportunities at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges is sought. The Department encourages students to apply at either universities or TVET colleges in good time, i.e. from the previous year and not to consider TVET colleges as the second or last options, but rather a different vocational education choice.

There are three main options in TVET colleges for students who have successfully completed Matric, they are:

NATED Programme in Business Studies N4,
NATED Programme Engineering Studies N4, and
Higher Certificate Level 5 (offered by some but not all TVET colleges).

There is also a fourth option which is the National Certificate (Vocational) NC(V). However, this is not a preferred option for matriculants as the qualification is at the same National Qualifications Framework Level 4 as that of Matric. Matriculants are not barred from entering into NC(V) programmes as some seek a different career pathway; from the pure academic to the combination of academic and vocational study.

Matriculants who have not been accommodated at universities, have study opportunities at TVET colleges available to them as indicated above, i.e. in N4 Business Studies, N4 Engineering Studies and/or NC(V) programmes. There are 44 000 N4 (Business and Engineering) and 37,000 NC(V) study opportunities available at TVET colleges for the class of 2014.

TVET colleges offering Higher Certificates at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 5, offer these programmes in partnership with universities, e.g. University of South Africa; where tuition and student support is provided at the college and the qualification provided by the university. This has proved to be a popular choice for students who could not be accepted at some universities due to limited spaces.

Reply received: April 2015

QUESTION 216

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 12/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 1 OF 2015)

Mr M S Mbatha (EFF) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

With reference to the recurring problem of shortage of funds for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to finance fully needy students, (a) what is he planning to do to ensure that no student gets excluded for financial reasons from any university in South Africa and (b) how many students have been excluded from universities as a result of their lack of funds;
what is the breakdown of how R9.5 billion of NSFAS funds have been allocated to each institution of learning?

NW237E

REPLY:

(a) Following the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) Review Report, funding for

poor, academically eligible students increased by 69.3% from R1.561 billion in 2010/11 to

R2.644 billion in 2011/12. Government followed through with a further increase of 27.7%,

and allocated R3.377 billion for loans and bursaries in 2012/13. For the 2015/16 financial

year, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) allocation from the Vote for

loans and bursaries at universities amounts to R4.094 billion. This is no small feat in a

hostile fiscal environment.

The Department has over the past five years been working tirelessly to secure additional funding for academically poor students who are unable to access financial aid. In order to fully fund all poor and working class university students for the total cost of study to meet the goals of the National Development Plan, an amount of R36 billion for university and R15 billion for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students is required over the 2015-2017 MTEF period. DHET submitted a bid to National Treasury as part of the 2015 MTEF budget process. This bid focused on the increase required for NSFAS funding to assist financially and academically deserving university students, in line with the recommendations of the Departmental Working Group on fee-free education and is supported by the resolutions of the 2012 Mangaung Conference. However, due to the prevailing fiscal environment the Bid was not successful.

NSFAS has also been mandated to look at creative mechanisms to lever additional sources of funding from the public as well as the private sector, especially for students who do not meet the current NSFAS means test. In addition to these efforts many universities allocate some of their own funds to augment the NSFAS funds available at their institutions.

Despite significant efforts to obtain additional funding, shortfalls are expected to continue. This will prevail until such time that the economic situation in the country changes to enable full support of all financially needy and academically deserving students. As the working group on fee-free education displayed, an amount of approximately R36 billion will be required over the MTEF period to allow all these students to be fully funded for their studies.

The Department has received several allegations of fraud and corruption involving recipients of financial aid through NSFAS. Given the limited financial resources and the demand for financial aid from poor needy students, corruption and abuse of NSFAS resources not only deprives financially needy students of the opportunity for further study, but also threatens the stability of the entire higher education and training sector.

The Minister has ordered a full forensic investigation into financial aid provided through NSFAS to determine the levels of fraud and corruption. The issue of financial aid must be viewed as a collective challenge. While government will need to source additional resources, business and the private sector need to invest in our youth as well.

(b) Students are excluded due to failure to meet academic requirements and a lack of funds. It

is only after completion of the registration process that the number of academically eligible students excluded, due to unavailability of funds, will be available. A request to provide this information will be submitted to all universities. A number of strategies to ensure that students are given a fair opportunity to re-register and complete their studies include:

Re-negotiating alternative payment arrangements;
Making available institutional resources through the establishment of special funds;
Signing acknowledgement of debt forms;
Making available university interest-free loans; and
Creating part-time employment opportunities for students on campus.

The NSFAS allocation of R9.5 billion is constituted as follows:

DHET Grant and NSFAS Recoveries for loans and bursaries amounts to R4 547 538 843. (Breakdown per institution is attached as Annexure A see the link: /files/RNW216-150303ANNEXURES.docx )
The National Skills Fund (NSF) grant amounts to R562 693 200.17 and is broken down as follows:

Funding Category	Amount
NSF Scarce Skills and Disabilities	R 454 540 800.17
NSF Post-Graduate Funding	R 77 576 000.00
NSF Rural Students Programme	R 30 576 400.00
Total	R 562 693 200.17

The allocations per university from the NSF Scarce Skills and Disabilities and NSF Post-Graduate Funding are attached as Annexures B and C respectively. The NSF Rural Students Programme remains a conduit fund, with Rural Education Access Programme (REAP) selecting suitable recipients and no individual allocations are made to universities.

The TVET allocations from DHET Grant amounts to R2 204 000 003 and the allocation per college is attached as Annexure D.
Information for other categories of funding (approximately R2.1 billion) which includes the Department of Basic Education’s Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme, Department of Social Development bursaries and SETA funding, are not yet available as identification and allocations to students and institutions are still being finalised. The Department of Basic Education, for example, has indicated that the final approved list of students and allocations to institutions will be submitted to NSFAS before the end of February 2015.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 181

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 12/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 1 OF 2015)

Mr Y Cassim (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

With reference to the reply of the Minister of Communications to question 1031 on 27 November 2014, what was the total amount that (a) his department and (b) each of its entities (i) spent on and/or (ii) budgeted for advertising for each month between 1 January 2013 and 31 July 2014, excluding expenditure transferred through the Department of Communications for advertising;
does such figure for each month represent the (a) total value of advertising that appeared in the media in that month, (b) amount paid in that month for advertising that may have appeared previously or (c) amount paid in advance for advertising that appeared at a later date;
in each specified case, what amount did (a) his department and (b) each of its entities spend on advertising in (i) print, (ii) radio, (iii) television, (iv) online and (v) outdoor;
in each specified case, what is the breakdown of advertising by (a) his department and (b) each of its entities in terms of (i) name of and (ii) amount spent on each (aa) publication, (bb) radio station, (cc) television station, (dd) website and (ee) billboards location in each province?

NW190E

REPLY

The Honourable Member is requested to refer to the 2012/13 and 2013/14 Annual Reports in relation to the budget and expenditure for advertising. Information relating to the 2014/15 period will be made available at the relevant time, once audited.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 49

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 12/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 1 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Whether he has conducted any oversight or study on the readiness of universities to accommodate disabled students; if so, in each case, (a) what were the findings in general and (b) what are the details of students who has been refused entry to study on the basis of disability for the (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 calendar years?

NW51E

REPLY:

Yes. My Department has conducted oversight visits as part of its monitoring of the use of the infrastructure grant for various approved projects. All new infrastructure projects are required to make provision for students with disabilities.

In addition, during the third cycle of infrastructure for the period 2012/13 to 2014/15, I approved that R124 million be allocated for universities to undertake disability audits on their older infrastructure to establish the extent of changes required to ensure universal access for the disabled. These plans were received from universities in the latter part of 2014 and an analysis of these plans is already underway. Based upon the analysis of these plans, the Department will work with universities to improve their infrastructure for students with disabilities.

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has allocated bursaries for students with disabilities as follows:

Year	Allocation	Number of students
2012	R45.5 million	1 368
2013	R66 million	1 842
2014	R69.9 million	1 383 as at 12 February 2015. NSFAS is currently processing claims for this category. The final audited figure will be available on 30 April 2015.
2015	R69.3 million	Preliminary data will be available after March as universities are currently busy processing students

According to information recorded in the Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS), the number of enrolled students with disabilities has increased from 5 856 in 2011 to 7 110 in 2013 and students who have graduated has increased from 984 in 2011 to 1 294 in 2013.

In addition, a Ministerial Committee was appointed on 12 December 2014 to develop a Strategic Policy Framework for Disability in the Post-School Education and Training System as per Government Gazette 38290, dated 12 December 2014. The Committee started its work in February 2015 and it is envisaged that a draft report will be submitted to me within six months.

The Department has not undertaken an analysis of the number of students who have been refused entry to study at universities due to a disability. This information is not collected on the HEMIS database.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 48

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 12/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 1 OF 2015)

Prof B Bozzoli (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

(a) Has the University of KwaZulu-Natal University (UKZN) ever taken loans from the Development Bank of South Africa or any other institution, (b) how much has the university spent on infrastructure over the past 10 years and (c) what is the amount of the postretirement medical aid deficit;
with reference to such loans, (a) how many have been made and in each case, (b) when were they taken out, (b) what was the value, (c) what was each loan for, in precise terms, (d) what is the repayment period of each, (e) what interest (i) percentage and (ii) amount is being charged on each loan, (f) when will each loan be completely paid off, (g) from what (i) budget and (ii) budget line item is the repayment of loans being taken, (h) what amount is the relevant budget estimated to be over or under spent for the 2014-15 financial year, (i) whether any amount had to be redirected to service the loans; if so, (aa) what amount and (bb) from which budget line item and (j) how much is owed as at the latest specified date for which information is available on each loan;
with reference to when these loans were taken out, (a) how much has the university spent on infrastructure, including spending within research entities and other bodies attached to the university over the past 10 years, (b) of this amount, how much was given to the university by (i) the Government, (ii) donors and (iii) lenders, (c)(i) how much was taken from university funds, including council or otherwise and (ii) where did each amount originate, (d) how much was spent on each infrastructure project and (e) how much was borrowed for expenditure on infrastructure in total;
with reference to the postretirement medical aid deficit, (a) what are the actuarial models that will be used to tackle this deficit, (b) how long will it take for the deficit to be paid off and (c) why is UKZN still carrying such a large deficit for this item? NW50E

REPLY:

The information you are requesting is obtainable directly from the relevant audited reports of the respective Institution.

Reply received: March 2015

QUESTION 42

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 12/02/2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 1 OF 2015)

Mr S Esau (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

What is the (a) total amount and (b) breakdown of the total amount spent on the Vukani Aviation Cadet Pilot Scheme Programme through the National Skills Fund;
what is the (a) total cost and (b) breakdown of such cost for the (i) Commercial Pilot License and (ii) Advanced Pilot Training;
how many cadets (a) were recruited, (b) passed and (c) failed the (i) Commercial Pilot License training and (b) Advanced Pilot Training;
what was the average cost per cadet who (a) failed and (b) passed the (i) Commercial Pilot License training and (ii) Advanced Pilot Training;
how many of the cadets who passed the (a) Commercial Pilot License training and (b) Advanced Pilot Training have received employment at (i) SA Airways, (ii) SA Airlink or (iii) any other specified employer?

NW43E

REPLY:

(a) The total expenditure incurred to date is: R68 029 589.78.

(b) The breakdown is as follows:

2012/13: R19 985 000.00

2013/14: R30 887 215.48

2014/15: R17 157 374.30

(a) The total budgeted cost of the training is: R77 070 921.00

(b) The breakdown of the cost is as follows:

(i) Commercial Pilot Licence is R717 303.00 per cadet

(ii) Advanced Pilot Training is R550 000.00 per cadet

Number of cadets:

(a) Recruited: 60 cadets

(b) Training is still in progress

(a) Commercial Pilot License: 16 passed their CPL to progress to APL, others are still in training.

(b) Advanced Pilot License: Training is still in progress

The average cost per cadet will be determined once training has been completed.
The number of cadets who passed and received employment will be communicated after the training programme has been completed.

2015-03-12

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