ATC130328: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training on its Oversight visit to the Northern Cape Urban Fet College, National Institute for Higher Education, North West University and Orbit Fet College, dated 20 March 2013

REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING ON ITS OVERSIGHT VISIT TO THE NORTHERN CAPE URBAN FET COLLEGE, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY AND ORBIT FET COLLEGE , DATED 20 MARCH 2013

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, having undertaken an oversight visit to the higher education and training institutions in Northern Cape and North West , reports as follows:

1. Introduction

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training undertook an oversight visit to the Northern Cape Urban FET college, National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE), North West University and Orbit FET college on 28 January – 01 February 2013 as part of an ongoing oversight visits to institutions of higher education and training throughout the country. The purpose of the oversight visit was primarily to interact with the above-mentioned institutions on critical issues such as their admission policy, enrolment planning, their transformation plan, student access and success, and challenges of student accommodation in residences.

2. Background

The oversight consisted of a multiparty delegation of the Committee who visited the above-mentioned institutions on a fact finding mission. The oversight visit formed part of the Committee’s plan to visit the 23 public higher education institutions and 50 Public FET colleges across the country to focus on key issues such as graduation rate in universities (22% currently), drop-out rate (16% currently), accountability on disbursement of NSFAS funding (R7 billion in 2013), equity and equality, implementation of the transformation plan, challenges of students and unions, institutional governance, the relationship between FET colleges and their nearby industries, placement of FET graduates in workplace training, pass rate and certification rate in FET colleges.

The Committee interacted with the above mentioned two public FET colleges, one university and the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE). The interaction with the institutions provided an opportunity for the Committee to comprehensively engage with management and various stakeholders of the institutions on critical issues pertinent to their operation. The programme of the visit included separate sessions with the stakeholders of the institutions to provide an opportunity for them to raise their concerns separately.

3. Composition of the Delegation

3.1 The Parliamentary delegation

The multi-party delegation of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training consisted of Ms D Chili (ANC), Ms N Gina Whip (ANC), Adv I Malale Chairperson (ANC), Mr S Makhubele (ANC), Prof S Mayatula (ANC), Mr C Moni (ANC), Mr S Radebe (ANC), Ms D Sibiya (ANC), Dr L Bosman (DA) Prof A Lotriet (DA), Mr N Bhanga (COPE) and Mr J Dikobo (AZAPO).

Support Staff: Mr A Kabingesi: Committee Secretary, Ms M Modiba: Content Adviser, Mr F Mohale: Media Officer and Ms T Majone: Committee Assistant.

3.2 Northern Cape Urban FET college representation

Management: Dr C Barnes: Principal, Ms M Badenhorst: Academic Manager, Ms E Swanepoel: Head of Department Business Studies, Ms M van Rensburg: Financial Manager, Ms L Jackson: Business Unit Manager, Ms D Chrisitians: Manager Bursaries, Mr P Brand: Quality Management System Manager, Mr K Fairweather: HOD Skills Development, Mr I Farber: Business Systems Unit Manager, Ms N Gathrie: HOD Business Studies, Mr F van Gensen HOD Engineering Studies, Mr Letsoalo: Manager Student Services, Mr F Miti: Human Resource Manager and Mr A Micheals: Infrastructure Manager.

Unions: Mr D Scheepers: Member National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA).

Council: Ms N Mazibuko: Chairperson Council.

Northern Cape Provincial Department of Education: Mr P Moolman: Director and Mr O Stander: Media Liaison.

Northern Cape Provincial Legislature: Dr A Grootboom: Member Portfolio Committee on Education and Ms B Matthys: Member Portfolio Committee on Education.

3.3 National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE) representation

Management: Dr P Nkosi: Acting Head, Mr L Diegaart: Human Resource Manager, Dr A Mpisi: Manager Research and Development, Mr T Mogamisi: Manager Financial Accounting, Dr B du Plessis: Faculty of Education Coordinator, Mr P Badenhorst: Campus Manager Upington Campus, Mr B Farmer: Head Finance and Administration, Ms M Grobbelaar: Manager Public Relations, Mr S Mokhele: Manager Supply Chain & Facilities

Unions: Mr S Mokheti: Shop Steward Public Service Association (PSA).

Student Representative Council: Ms V Julius: President, Mr B Springbok: Deputy President, Mr P Mashibini: Secretary-General, Mr T Ntimang: Arts and Culture Officer, Ms M Mbadululs: Gender Officer, Ms K Mokomele: Sports Officer, Mr A Abrahams: Projects and Entertainment, Mr V Simon: Education and Transformation, Mr J Gasnint: Academics Officer,

Northern Cape Provincial Department of Education: Ms J Grey: Director Office of the MEC and Mr M Ishmail: Chief Director.

3.4 North West University representation

Management: Dr T Elloff: Vice-Chancellor, Prof T Mariba: Campus Rector Vaal Triangle, Prof D Kwadi: Campus Rector Mafikeng, Dr F du Preez: Director, Prof I Rost: Executive Director Finance, Prof L du Plessis: Vice-Rector Academic Quality and Planning, Prof M Lowes: Vice-Rector Teaching and Learning, Mr K Ntshwe: Student Coordinator, Prof M Maselese: Vice-Rector Teaching Learning and Research, Prof M Verhoef: Executive Strategy and Projects, Mr T Venter: Special Adviser, Mr P Momope: Executive Director Institutional Advancement, Prof F van Niekerk: Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Innovation Technology, Ms C North: Executive Advisor Teaching and Learning, Mr M Letheya; Secretariat and Ms R Hornsby: Secretariat.

Council: Mr P van der Walt: Chairperson, Mr S Mohapi: Deputy Chairperson.

Institutional Forum: Prof C van Wyk: Chairperson, Adv M Kruger: Member, Mr T Kgomo: Member, Ms H Coetzee: Member and Dr K Mabe: Member.

Union: Prof C Wessels: Vice-Chairperson: South African Parastatals and Tertiary Institutions Union (SAPTU) and Ms J Pires-Putter: Member SAPTU.

Student Representative Council: Mr O Matshidiso: President, Mr O Ditshwele: Secretary-General Mafikeng Campus, Mr K Sebuwa: Academic Affairs Officer Mafikeng Campus, Ms D Mkhwanazi: Constitution and Societies Officer Vaal Triangle Campus, Ms S Da Silva: Deputy President Vaal Triangle Campus, Mr D Makgaka: Residence Officer Mafikeng Campus, Mr M Mhlongo: Sports Officer Vaal Triangle Campus, Mr M Masoka: Public Relations Officer Vaal Triangle Campus, Mr J Jordaan: Chairperson Potchefstroom Campus, Ms I Mostert: Deputy Chairperson Potchefstroom Campus.

Office of the Auditor General: Ms N Mahola: Product Champion.

3.5 Orbit FET college representation

Management: Ms M Marais: Principal, Mr P Bierman: Chief Financial Officer, Mr T Mosito: Deputy Principal Academics, Ms Diedericks: Occupational Programme Manager, Mr J Sengoaba: Student Support Service Manager, Ms M Maja: Vocational Programmes Manager, Ms M Scholtz: Campus Manager Rustenburg Campus, Mr I Farber, Dr J Viljoen: Management Information System (MIS) Manager, Mr P Matlou: Business Development Officer, Mr O Shoko: Supply Chain and Asset Manager, Ms M Matloba: Human Resource Manager, Mr T Thopile: Campus Manager - Brits Campus and Mr S Mtjiane: Campus Manager - Mankwe Campus.

Council: Prof S Lenyai: Chairperson.

Unions: Mr T Mokgoro: Site Chairperson: Public Servants Association, Ms P Mashaba: Shop Steward, Ms N Thipe: Deputy Secretary South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), Mr M Seeketsa: Site Chairperson SADTU, Mr A Mesteeme: Site Steward and Mr K Chauke: Member SADTU.

Student Representative Council: Mr M Tisetso: President, Mr M Kagiso: Secretary, Mr L Lereko: Deputy President, Ms P Nkuna: Gender and Disability, Mr T Molonkoane: Health and Wellness, Mr T Tshilo: Treasury, Ms M Sophy: Public Relations Office, Ms K Lesejane: Academic and Alumni, Ms B Gous: Academic and Alumni, Ms N Rakhudu: Arts and Culture, Mr K Nkhulong: Sports and Recreation, Mr T Mosala: Project and Outreach.

Office of the Auditor-General: Ms D Tsotetsi: Technical Manager.

North West Provincial Department: Mr E Pedro: Chief Director Adult Education and Rev B Mogale: Director.

3.6 Department of Higher Education and Training representation

Mr M Mabizela: Chief Director University Policy, Mr J Slater: Director, Ms G Umeh: Deputy Director, Ms S Mampane: Branch Coordinator and Ms P Sekgobela: Acting Parliamentary Liaison Officer Director-General’s Office.

4. Summary of presentations

4.1 Northern Cape Urban FET college

a) Admission Policy

Ms D Christians: Manager Bursaries led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• The college adhered to the National Certificate (Vocational) NC(V) and Report 191 admission requirements as stipulated in the government legislation.
• Learners must meet the requirements for admission. It was compulsory for all National Certificate Vocational NC(V) students to undergo a placement process. This was done to ensure that students were placed properly in relevant programmes.
• For NC(V) Level 2, learners must be 16 years or older and passed Grade 9, NC(V) Level 3 must have passed relevant NC(V) Level 2 and NC(V) Level 4 must have passed relevant NC(V) Level 3. For Report 191 programmes, a relevant Grade 12 pass was required for N4.
• Students were required to sign a code of conduct especially those who stayed on campus residences.
• Foreign students were allowed to study at the college and should posses a valid study permit from the Department of Home Affairs.

b) Enrolment and 2013 readiness

Mr I Farber: Business Systems Unit Manager led the presentation which highlighted the following issues:

• The college had 2 campuses and during 2012 it had 5371 headcounts students, City Campus (3507) and Moremogolo Campus (1864). Of the 5371 headcounts, 1094 were enrolled in NC(V) programmes, 3869 in Report 191 and 408 in occupational learnerships or skills programmes. For the 2013 academic year, the NC(V) had 1156, Nated 1995 students and registration period was still opened.
• The college admitted more students than it had planned, as a result; temporary classrooms had to be purchased to accommodate new students.
• Evening classes were introduced to cater for the increased number of students.

c) Challenges of the college

Mr K Fairweather: HOD Skills Development led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• Student attendance remained a concern for the college since it affected the pass rate.
• Inadequate infrastructure to accommodate the increase in student numbers.
• Student lecturer ratio was very high.
• Delays in the distribution of changes to the curriculum.
• Lecturers not capacitated for curriculum change in Engineering and Natural Science programmes.
• Inability to draw competent lecturers into the profession.
• Outstanding results of students and leaking of question papers.
• Delays in release of students certificates.
• Late delivery of Integrated Summative Assessment Task (ISAT).
• Quality of question papers remained a concern.

d) Partnerships

Ms M Badenhorst: Academic Manager led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• The college had partnerships for placement of students with Gariep Motors, Oranje Toyota, Mac Steel, B&C Engineering and other companies.
• The University of Free State offered bridging courses for Bachelor of Admin, Commerce and Social Science programmes at the college and students articulated to the university upon completion of these programmes.
• The college had partnership with Stockdale College of Nursing which offered primary health care programme for NC(V) students up to Level 4.
• Education, Training and Development Practitioners Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA) funded the college for Mathematics Literacy and Mathematics programmes for 15 lecturers. It also funded leadership training programmes for managers.
• The college was also part of the United State of America project for Right to Care with HIV/AIDS.
• It also had partnership with Jobs for Future which assisted the College in getting industry partners for student placement.
• The recapitalization project assisted the college in refurbishing six workshops fully equipped with the latest technology for NC(V) practicals.

e) Bursary Management

Ms D Christians: Manager Bursaries led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• The college received allocation from National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). In 2012, the college received R15 million which was not sufficient to provide for all the needy students. It made a special request from NSFAS and received additional allocation of R3 million to assist students who could not be catered for in the first allocation. The college’s provisional bursary allocation for 2013 was R18.4 million.
• Owing to limited funding, not all students who applied for the bursary were successful. Selection of NSFAS bursary beneficiaries was done through the Means Test. Students with NSFAS bursary were required to pass all their subjects with attendance rate of 80% in classes.
• Besides NSFAS bursary, the college received funding for bursaries from Eskom, Estelle and Wholesale and Retail SETA to assist financially needy students who were not covered by NSFAS. Performance and attendance was considered when allocating this bursary. Students were liable for outstanding fees which the bursary did not cover.
• Foreign students were also assisted financially through the college bursaries from other sources because NSFAS was only meant to assist South African students.
• Students who qualified for financial assistance were exempted from paying registration fees.
• Telecard (Financial Management Company) was appointed to administer NSFAS funding for the college to minimise corrupt practices and the company did not charge the college for this service.

f) Infrastructure and Marketing

Mr E Micheals: Manager Infrastructure led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• Inadequate infrastructure was a concern for the college owing to increase in student numbers. A new site for skills development was identified and construction in the site would commence in March this year.
• The college benefited from the Department of Higher Education’s infrastructure development funding. New 4 classrooms were added at City Campus and two at Moremogolo Campus to reduce overcrowding in lecture rooms.
• The college had one residence at Moremogolo Campus which accommodated 216 students.

g) Student Services

Mr Letsoalo: Manager Student Services led the presentation which highlighted the following:

• The term of office for the SRC in the college was from February to October every year. The NC(V) Level 1-2 students were not allowed to contest for SRC election since certain courses were only one trimester.
• The nomination process for SRC positions started on 30 January of every year and the Independent Election Commission (IEC) was responsible for elections.
• The college was concerned with SRC’s affiliation to different youth alliances in the campus. The different youth alliances influenced the agenda of the SRC.
• Students were required to be fulltime in order to contest for SRC positions. NC(V) students were required to be studying Level 3-4 to contest for SRC positions and the SRC could only have 10 members.

h) Input from Council

Ms N Mazibuko: Chairperson led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• The college Council was fully functional and happy with the current leadership of the college. The college was placed among the top 5 colleges in the country and it had been receiving clean audits over the years.
• Council was concerned with the pass rate, certification rate and throughput rate of the college. The college management was busy with performance agreements of lecturers to monitor quality of teaching and results. Retention strategy for lecturers had been developed.

i) Union

Mr D Scheepers: Member NAPTOSA led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• The union was concerned with some lecturers that were employed on contract basis for a long period and this made it very difficult for them to secure credit from financial institutions.
• The student lecturer ratio of the college remained a serious concern. The NC(V) lecturers were overloaded with teaching and NC(V) administration work..
• The college required more facilities owing to the increase in student numbers. The classrooms were too small for the number of students registered by the college.
• Leaking of Nated programmes papers remained a serious concern. Outstanding results of students from the Department made it difficult for students to register for new courses or seek for employment. Late delivery of (ISAT) and delays in the distribution of changes to the curriculum affected lecturer performance.

j) Campus Tour

The Committee visited the following during its site observation of the college:

• Electrical Workshop.
• Motor Mechanic Workshop.
• Fitting and Turning Workshop.
• Cafeteria.

4.2 National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE)

a) Overview of NIHE

Dr P Nkosi: Acting Head led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• NIHE was launched in June 2003 to provide higher education programmes in the Northern Cape . A selection of programmes offered under agreement with four partner institutions namely; University of the Free State , North West University, Central University of Technology and Vaal University of Technology. The delivery sites were in Kimberley and Upington.
• NIHE also had pipeline students of the University of South Africa (UNISA) and University of Western Cape .
• The Institute had management and administrative component and no academic personnel because its duty was only to coordinate educational programmes.
• The Institute did not have its own educational programmes but entered into partnerships with institutions of higher learning to offer programmes.
• The Institute together with partner institutions delivered programmes that responded to socio-economic needs of the province.
• The agreement with the partner institutions placed the responsibilities on the Institute to; select programmes to be offered in the Institute, recruit and screen students based on admission requirements of the partner institutions, provide library and information services, student accommodation and student support services.
• The total number of students enrolled for the current academic year was 1562. The successes of the Institute included; established structure, policies, growth in staff and student numbers, installation of solar geyser in the residence and community involvement. The challenges included; inadequate classroom space, inadequate library facilities, no sustained presence of academic staff and uneven supply of electricity at Galeshewe Campus. The inadequate academic support resulted in low throughput rates.
• The allocation from the Department for 2013/14 was R28 million, the total estimated expenditure for 2013/14 was R36 million. Other sources of income of the Institute included; lease agreements, administration costs, student income and interest.
• Students paid residence fee of R3000 per annum which was not sufficient to cater for all their residence related demands.
• There were uncertainties regarding the future of NIHE in relation to the establishment of a new university. The Institute had already lost staff members due to the uncertainties.

• Library service support to students was inadequate due to lack of library personnel. Some of the textbooks in the library were outdated and the Institute did not get financial assistance from partner institutions to purchase latest ones. The library operated during working hours and students had no access to library service after working hours.
• NIHE was not receiving part of the subsidy from the partner institutions and that made it difficult to expand the library and student support services.

b) Union

Mr S Mokheti: PSA Shop Steward led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• Job security for employees and the future on NIHE remained a serious concern for the staff of NIHE. With the proposed new university in Kimberley , employees of the Institute were not informed regarding their future and some employees were resigning.
• NIHE was not yet registered as a public entity and issues of labour disputes were not properly addressed. The Institute had a vacuum of institutional policies which guided the code of conduct of employees.
• Owing to the recent high staff turnover, work overload continued to be a major concern for employees.

c) Student Representative Council

Ms V Julius: President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• Accommodation: Shortage of accommodation remained a serious concern for students at the Institute. The Institute had one residence at Galeshewe Campus which could accommodate 342 students out of the 1562 registered students. Uninhabitable conditions of students in the residence remained a serious concern. The transformer at the residence was not working and students were forced to bath with cold water. There was no ATM at the residence and students were often robbed at night when they were withdrawing money outside the residence.
• Financial assistance: Funding for students remained a serious concern since majority of students came from disadvantaged families. The NSFAS funding was allocated late and did not cover all the tuition fees. The Funza Lushaka students dropped out of the Institute since the bursary was allocated late during the year and Afrikaans students were not granted the bursary since its not a priority area according to NSFAS.
• Facilities: The Institute had one sports field which was poorly maintained. Inadequate sports facilities at the residence remained a serious concern for students.
• Library: The library at the Institute was too small and inadequately resourced. There were no printing facilities at the Galeshewe Campus.
• Shortage of lecturers: There was a high failure rate in Maths, Accounting and Science at the Institute. Students did not have sufficient time to interact with lecturers since majority of them were based at the main Campuses. Students paid similar tuition fees with students at the main Campuses. However, academic support for students at the Institute remained inadequate.
• Shuttle service: The shuttle took one trip from student residences to the institute in the morning only. Students were made to stay on campus the whole day without a cafeteria. Students were forced to pay taxi fare which was expensive.
• Future of NIHE: Students were concerned that things are put on hold due to the uncertainties around the future of NIHE.
• Students felt that their concerns were not attended to because both the Institute and partner institutions continued to shift responsibility.
• The infrastructure at the Institute did not cater for disabled students. At Galeshewe Campus, classes were offered at first floor and the campus did not have lifts.

4.3 North West University

a) Overview of the North West University

Dr T Ellof: Vice-Chancellor led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• Management system : The university adopted a decentralised system of management whereby all the three campuses were headed by different campus managers who reported to the Vice-Chancellor. Each campus had its own targets and the campus manager was responsible for achieving those targets sets.
• Campuses: The university had three campuses namely; Potchefstroom, Mafikeng and Vaal Triangle. The merger would be 10 years this year and it had been successful thus far.
• Staff Profile: The university had a total of 5158 staff with 63.8% being white, 31.1% Africans, 4.2% Coloured and 0.9% Indians. Female employees were majority in the university making 56.8% while males were 43.2%.
• Budget: The university managed a budget of R2.3 billion in 2011 and that had increased to R3 billion in 2013. Majority of the income was from government about 44% of the total budget and 25% from tuition fees. Staff cost were kept at 55% of the total budget of the university. The Department informed the university that its multi-campus subsidy is going to be cut.
• Student Enrolment: The total number of students as of 2011 was 56 641, with 85% of them being undergraduates. The first year drop out rate was 12% (among the lowest in the country) in 2011 and graduation rate was 26% (third highest in the country) above the national average of 22%. The university could not admit 2000 prospective students owing to limited space.
• Performance: The university was rated second in the country in terms of graduates produced, fifth in number of PhDs produced and sixth in Masters produced.
• Infrastructure: The enrolment growth of the university had been 5.4% from 2009 to 2013 owing to the available infrastructure. The university had a 5 year infrastructure plan and majority of its building were designed by internal architects.
• Transformation: The university had a Transformation Oversight Committee that had been in existence for the past five years. Ten transformation indicator goals had been developed namely; access, alignment, diversity, equity, increased unity, quality, redress, resource allocation, student experience and success.
• Campus niches: The Mafikeng Campus would become a balanced teaching-learning and research campus, Potchefstroom Campus was in the process to become a research-directed campus and Vaal Triangle Campus would be a reputable regional campus with relevant and expanded academic offerings to address local and national needs.

b) Institutional Forum

Prof C van Wyk: Chairperson led the presentation which highlighted following key issues:

• The IF was second highest decision making body in the university after Council. It consisted of 29 members representing various stakeholders of the university.
• The IF scheduled four meetings a year and reported to the Council on resolutions of the meetings. The relationship between management and IF was good. The IF was also involved in the selection process of senior personnel in the university.
• The major concern of IF was implementation of transformation. The institution had very good transformation policies on paper. However, implementation of transformation in reality remained a serious concern for members of IF.
• They proposed that demographic constitution of IF needed to be looked into.

c) Unions

Ms Pieterse: Member SAPTU led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· There was one major union in the university SAPTU, which represented the needs of employees. Staff Association which represented majority of employees in Mafikeng Campus was deregistered by the Department of Labour.

· The university had fully functional workplace forums in each campus where employee grievances were discussed and resolved. The relationship between management and union was good.

d) Student Representative Council

Mr O Matshidiso: President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• Accommodation: The university had a serious challenge of shortage of accommodation for students. Of the 10 000 registered students in Mafikeng Campus, only 2100 could be accommodated. Access for disabled students to the residence remained a serious concern. A former residence for students (Giona Park) was converted into accommodation for lecturers. Majority of the rooms in the residences were under maintenance making the shortage to be worse. Students wanted NSFAS to pay for off-campus residences because university residences cannot accommodate all students.
• Language policy: In Potchefstroom Campus, Afrikaans was used as the medium of instruction and majority of black students were disadvantaged because of this. Student orientation was also conducted in Afrikaans.
• Death of a fellow student: Students were concerned with the manner in which management handled the case of a student who drowned in a swimming pool last year. Justice was not served in this case and there were no clear indications of the circumstances which led the student to drown. The SRC proposed that the matter be re-investigated.
• Transformation: There was no clear programme of transformation to unite the university. Although the university had a transformation document, it was not implemented. There was no transparency in fee allocation per campus.
• Fee increment: Students were extremely concerned with the fee increment of 10.3% and proposed that fee increment should not be above the current inflation rate which was 7%.
• Victimisation: There was notion of vicitimsation of SRC leaders by management of the university. A former president of the SRC was denied an opportunity to graduate owing to administration error in his results.
• Student debt: Students were being excluded owing to inability to repay the money owed to the university. Students were forced to sign loan agreement forms before they were allocated funds from NSFAS. Some students in the university owed more than R100 000 in outstanding debts and majority of these students came from disadvantaged families. The SRC proposed that the university surplus be used to write off the student debt.

e) Council

Mr P van der Walt: Chairperson and Mr S Mohapi: Deputy Chairperson presented the following key issues:

· The Council of the university consisted of 30 members including 13 non-executive members that were nominated by the community. Council sat 4 times a year and its main role was to provide leadership and good governance to the university.

· The Council was fully functional and meetings were well attended. However, the Council was concerned with absenteeism of Ministerial appointees. There was a concern that Council did not get sufficient input from the Ministerial appointees members. The university had been voted as the best governed public higher education institution for five times in a row by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC).

· The Council subscribed to good governance principles and all its sub-committees which included finance, audit, transformation and risk were functional. Induction programme was provided for all new members of Council to familiarise themselves with the university.

· Transformation in the university remained a concern for some Council members and the university required new leadership. There was a high staff turnover of black academics especially at the Potchefstroom Campus and reasons for them leaving the university were not clear. Inadequate coordination between the Vice-Chancellor and Council remained a serious concern.

4.4 Orbit FET college

a) Overview of the college

Ms M Marais: Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• When Technical Colleges merged into FET colleges in 2003, ORBIT college consisted of 4 campuses (Odi, Rustenburg, Brits and Temba) hence the name ORBIT. However, Odi and Temba Campus had since been removed from the College due to municipal demarcation.
• Orbit FET college had 3 campuses and during 2012 there were 11 873 students (head counts) (Brits 2 168, Mankwe 3 701 and Rustenburg 5 554). Of the total 11 873, 4 197 were NC(V), 5 354 were Report 191 and 2 322 Occupational (learnerships / skills programmes).
• The latest enrolment figures for 2013 (registration not yet closed) was 8 535 students (head counts). The college had a total 324 employees of which only 56 were paid via PERSAL and the remaining employees were paid by the College Payroll Office. In terms equity the staff was 84.6% black 13.9% white, 1.2% Coloured and 0.3% Indians.
• The college had a Council approved Admission Policy that made provision for all the different programmes that the college offered.
• The challenges of students included; late transfer of the NSFAS bursary, inadequate student support centres, inadequate student accommodation, demand for enrolment exceeded the available space, delay in the issuing of certificates and lack of clarity on college programmes.
• The college had numerous partnerships with nearby industries namely; BMW, Bafokeng Rasimoni Platinum Mine, Ford Motor Company, Impala Platinum Mine, Furniture World, Builders Training Centre, Health and Welfare SETA (H&W SETA), Manufacturing and Related Services SETA (MERSETA), Transport Education SETA, Arts, Culture, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports SETA (CATHSETA), Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority (ETDP SETA) Bojanala District Municipality and many other industries.

b) Unions

Mr M Seeketsa: Site Chairperson SADTU led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• Workers of the college had been oppressed by the management of the college since 2006. Worker’s grievances were not properly addressed and there was no formal labour forum where labour disputes were addressed in the college.
• Nepotism in appointment of certain staff members remained a serious concern. Irregular recruitment processes were followed in appointment of certain staff (some senior lecturers were not qualified for their jobs).
• Tenders were awarded to the same companies and majority of them were white owned. Local people and businesses were not given preference in awarding of tenders or recruitment of staff.
• The college did not allocate adequate time to unions to recruit members and discuss labour issues.
• Unions were not invited during interviews of new employees. There was a need for review of lecturers’ qualifications as some lecturers were misplaced. Abnormal working hours of lectures remained a concern.

c) Student Representative Council

Mr M Tisetso: President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

• Students were concerned with the value of the NC(V) programme since employers were not considering students with NC(V) maths literacy.
• Majority of learnerships in the college were given to students studying Report 191 programmes and NC(V) students were left out.
• The SRC proposed that workshop lecturers should be given first aid training to assist students when they were injured during practicals.
• Career guidance was a concern for new students in the college. New students were not correctly guided during registration period.
• The Mankwe Campus did not have facilities to assist students with disabilities to access classrooms and residences.
• Late allocation of NSFAS bursary remained a major concern for students since they were unable to pay for transport fees.
• Pending results and outstanding certificates affected students and they were unable to register for new subjects or seek for employment.

5. Observations

a) Northern Cape Urban FET college

• The college had a serious challenge of shortage of accommodation since it had only one residence situated at the Galeshewe Campus. As a result, students from areas far from Kimberley did not register owing to shortage of student accommodation.
• It emerged that the college appointed a service provider (Telecard) to manage the disbursement of NSFAS funds to student accounts. The Committee was concerned that the company would benefit inappropriately from this service since this was a function of student support services.
• The Committee was concerned that the NSFAS 30% upfront payment was only on paper while the actual transfer of money happened around May.
• Delays in transfer of NSFAS contributed to high absenteeism of students owing to lack of transport money.
• The Committee was extremely concerned with the leaking of Nated programmes examination papers (13 papers leaked in 2011 and two in 2012 December) in the Department. The leaking of question papers caused examination logistical nightmare to colleges. It also delayed the release of student results.
• It emerged that the college did not have a transformation plan document in place and the Committee was concerned with this.
• The college did not plan properly for student enrolment for the 2013 academic year such that it exceeded by 10% the projected intake of new students, as a result, overcrowding in classrooms and high student lecturer ratio was a challenge. There were 400 new students that were on waiting list for admission and the college infrastructure was inadequate to accommodate more students.
• The college did not have foreign students’ admission policy.
• Regarding staff profile, there was only one black manager among 14 senior managers at the college and this did not reflect the demographics of the province.
• High student absenteeism and inadequate pass rate of the NC(V) programme was a concern for the Committee.
• The Committee was extremely concerned with the vacuum of student leadership during registration period. The SRC did not function during the registration period since its term ended in October and elections were held in February of every year.

b) National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE)

• It emerged that there was low morale among staff at NIHE in relation to the envisaged university in Kimberley. Employees at the Institute were concerned with their job security since the future of NIHE was not clearly articulated. High staff turnover remained a serious concern for the Institute.
• The Committee was extremely concerned that staff members at NIHE were not kept abreast with the developments of the proposed university by the Department.
• It emerged that there was no internal audit unit at the Institute owing to lack of capacity and consultants were utilised for this function.
• Shortage of qualified lecturing staff contributed to high failure rate in subjects such as Accounting and Maths. Students were not provided with adequate academic support although they paid similar tuition fees with their counterparts at the partner institutions.
• It emerged that partner institutions demanded funds of application fees from students although they did not contribute subsidies to NIHE. Contractual agreements with partner institutions were not beneficial to NIHE and partner institutes did not oblige to contractual agreements at certain times.
• The R28 million funding from the Department for 2013/14 was inadequate as the estimated operational and personnel cost were R37 million leaving a shortfall of R9 million.
• It emerged that Funza Lushaka students majoring in Afrikaans did not qualify for the bursary since Afrikaans was not regarded as a priority area and most of these students droped-out during the year.
• The Institute did not have a written language policy document and lectures were sometimes conducted in Afrikaans at the disadvantage of certain students.
• Social cohesion among students remained a serious concern for students as there was no transformation plan at the Institute.

c) North West University

• The university was commended for having good governance and good performance in terms of graduation and throughput rate.
• The university was also commended for a successful merger, research outputs and increased number of academic staff with PhDs especially at Mafikeng Campus.
• It emerged that the SRC was extremely concerned with the fee increment of 10.3% and it was not properly consulted regarding the increment. The registration fee for students living in residence was R11 000 and R6800 for other students. According to the SRC, students from disadvantaged families were denied access as result of the expensive registration fee.
• It was noted with concern that students who owed the university were being excluded and the majority of these students were from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Committee advised the university not to exclude academically deserving students.
• Social cohesion remained a serious challenge in the university. The transformation plan was inadequately implemented and this was raised by various stakeholders of the university. Although the university merged with former disadvantaged institutions, 75% of students at the Potchefstroom Campus were Afrikaans speakers.
• Staff Association (Union which represented workers at Mafikeng Campus) was deregistered by the Department of Labour owing to its challenges of affiliation with Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA).
• It emerged that the university was highly commercialised, having ownership of a nearby shopping complex, service station, apartments and a number of partnerships with private sector that generated income for the university.
• The Committee was concerned that the Institutional Forum of the university did not adequately exercise its mandate and its representation did not reflect the demographics of the university.
• It was noted with concern that the university did not provide adequate academic support to its students registered at NIHE in Kimberley.
• It emerged that the NSFAS shortfall at the university for the 2013 academic year was R100 million and this would affect about 2000 students. As a result, the university disbursed full NSFAS bursary to fewer students leaving others with huge debts owed to the university.

d) Orbit FET college

• The Committee commended the good leadership provided by the Council of the college as well as good management by the principal and the rest of her staff. The strong relationship between the college and the industries was also commended
• The Committee was concerned with the poor pass rate in engineering studies including the drop out rate of students.
• The college was commended for its good pass rate especially in mathematics NC(V) programmes and this was contributed by Plato (software used to assist students with Maths).
• The college’s tracing system revealed high absorption rate of college graduate into labour market.
• Outstanding certificates and pending results remained a serious challenge for students of the college. The Committee was concerned that some NC(V) graduates were enrolled for Report 191 but have never received their certificates.
• Shortage of accommodation at Mankwe Campus was a serious challenge for the college since it was situated in a deep rural area and the distance between the college and the surrounding rural areas was vast.
• Late allocation of the NSFAS bursary contributed to student drop-out since majority of the students were NSFAS beneficiaries.

6. Conclusion

The four days oversight visit of the Committee commenced in Northern Cape where the Committee visited the Northern Cape Urban FET college and the National Institute for Higher Education, followed by a visit to the North West University and Orbit FET college in North West. The Committee was accompanied by officials from the Department of Higher Education and Training, Provincial Department of Education of Northern Cape and North West and Members of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature. It was for the first time that the Committee visited higher education and training institutions in Northern Cape.

A number of key findings were noted by the Committee during the four days oversight visit and through this report; it would table recommendations to the House for consideration by the Minister of Higher Education and Training. The issue of outstanding certificates and pending results was highlighted as a major concern in both the colleges visited and the people who were affected the most were students whose careers hanged in the balance as a result of this predicament. Members were extremely concerned with the leakage of question papers at the Departmental level which compromised the examination process.

The Committee was concerned that the staff at the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE) feared for their job security in relation to the envisaged university in Kimberley. Of great concern to the Committee was that majority of employees at NIHE were under the impression that once the envisaged university was functional, NIHE would be disestablished. The Committee recently passed the Higher Education and Training Laws Amendment Bill [B23-12] which aimed to strengthen the role and function of NIHE. Failure by the Department to keep NIHE abreast regarding the developments of the envisaged university contributed to the high staff turnover and low moral among employees of NIHE.

The main concern of the certain stakeholders at the North West University was the delay in the implementation of transformation. Social cohesion in the university seemed very far from being achieved. With the university having 63% of its staff being white and 75% of students at the Potchefstroom being Afrikaans speakers, the merger of the university had not yet achieve integration. However, the university was well managed with very good governance accompanied by very good graduation rate which was among the highest in the country. Lastly, the Orbit FET college was a good model of a FET college that the country needed. It was the first time that the Committee visited a college with strong leadership and dedicated management. The partnership that the college had with industries was commendable and students were being placed in employment upon completing their studies.

7. Recommendations

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training requests that the Minister of Higher Education and Training ensures that the following recommendations are considered, and where possible, implemented within one month of the adoption of this report by the House:

a) National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE)

• Funding: The National Institute for Higher Education was underfunded to an extent that its operational and personnel costs exceeded the current allocation by the Department by R9 million. The Institute did not have adequate funds to maintain its infrastructure which was not conducive to learning. Owing to the important role that was currently played by the Institute in the provision of higher education in the Northern Cape, it should be given additional funding to fulfill its mandate.
• Academic support: Inadequate academic support for students at NIHE remained a serious concern. There was an urgent need for a meeting between the Department, partner institutions of NIHE, NSFAS and the Committee to resolve this challenge.

• Proposed university in Kimberley: The Steering Committee responsible for the proposed university in the Northern Cape should work parallel with NIHE during the whole process of establishing the proposed university.

• Afrikaans as a priority area: The Department and the NSFAS should review the policy of not funding students who majored in Afrikaans. Afrikaans was the main spoken language of the province and it should be supported.

• Delay in release of list of students who qualified for Funza Lushaka: The Department should engage the Department of Basic Education to release lists of students who qualified for the bursary so that they could be registered on time.

• Infrastructure: The living conditions of students at the NIHE Galeshewe Campus residence were not conducive to learning. Dilapidated infrastructure and non-functioning transformer should be attended to urgently.

• Internal Audit Committee : The Institute should ensure that it set up the Internal Audit Committee.

b) North West University

• Attendance of Ministerial Appointees to Council: A concern was raised about the absenteeism of Ministerial Appointees from Council meetings. The Minister should ensure that Ministerial Appointees members of Council take their responsibility seriously and attend Council meetings.

• Transformation plan: The university should implement the transformation plan in its totality.

• Multi-campus subsidy: The Department should find alternative ways of funding universities with multi-campuses.

c) Further Education and Training Colleges

• Accommodation: Shortage of student accommodation remained a serious concern for all the colleges visited. A massive infrastructure rollout programme should be considered to expand access in FET colleges as they served rural communities which were widely dispersed.

• Outstanding results / certificates: Outstanding certificates and pending results remained a serious concern for students in FET colleges. The Department should ensure that it does not miss its cut off date of 28 February 2013 in issuing all outstanding certificates. All the pending results should be released urgently to allow students to enroll for the next level.

• NC(V): Poor pass rate in the NC(V) programme remained a challenge in all the colleges visited. One of the reasons cited were delays in the delivery of ISAT and curriculum changes to lecturers. The Department should deliver NC(V) material timeously to allow lecturers and students to properly plan Internal Continuous Assessment marks. Lecturers should be capacitated in relation to curriculum changes in engineering and natural science subjects to be implemented in 2013.

• FET Programmes: Colleges were concerned about instability in the sector caused by lack of programme clarity. The Department should finalise review of programmes.

• Leaking of examination questions papers: The Department should improve its security system for examination question papers.

• Quality of examination question papers: The Department should pay serious attention to the quality of NC(V) and Report 191 exam question papers.

• NSFAS: Late transfer of the NSFAS bursary allocation to FET colleges remained a serious concern. Actual transfer of 30% upfront payment should be done earlier so that colleges can be able to give student transport money and meal vouchers.

• Financial exclusions: No academically deserving poor student should be excluded from any public university or FET college if he or she owed fees at the institution. Students should be given an opportunity to complete their studies and only then can a university demand money owed by the students.

• Admission policy for foreign students: The Department should consider developing a policy to guide and regulate admission of foreign students at FET Colleges.

Report to be considered.