ATC130927: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training on its oversight visit to Limpopo and Mpumalanga, dated 11 September 2013

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training on its oversight visit to Limpopo and Mpumalanga, dated 11 September 2013

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

1. Introduction

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training undertook an oversight visit to the University of Venda, University of Limpopo ( Turfloop Campus), National Institute of Higher Education (NIHE) Nelspruit and conducted strategic sessions with Further Education and Training (FET) colleges of Limpopo and Mpumalanga on 22 – 26 July 2013. This report would firstly, summarise all the presentations made by various institutions during the oversight visit period; secondly, it would articulate on the observations made by Members of the Committee during their interaction with the various institutions; thirdly, a summary of all the observations would be conceptualised; fourthly, key resolutions made during engagements with the institutions would be outlined and; finally recommendations for consideration and implementation by the Minister would be highlighted at the end of the report.

2. Background

In understanding the real challenges faced by the post-school education and training institutions, the Committee embarked on a fact finding mission to constructively engage with all FET colleges of Limpopo and Mpumalanga as well as visiting higher education institutions in Limpopo. The importance of a well governed and administered post school education and training sector cannot be over emphasised as data provided conclusive evidence that large numbers of young people were neither in employment, education nor training. Regrettably access to training and employment opportunities was still limited to few. Furthermore, the Green Paper on Post School Education and Training supports the notion of skilling and empowering young people to participate in developing the economy of this country.

The terms of reference of the oversight visit was based on assessment of these post-school education and training institutions on the following aspects:

· Governance and administration,

· Administration of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) bursary,

· Graduation, certification, pass and drop-out rates,

· Partnership with industries,

· Student housing,

· Resulting and certification,

· Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and articulation of FET colleges and,

· Success and challenges.

In addition to the above mentioned key concepts of the oversight visit, the Committee invited stakeholders such as Councils, Student Representative Council (SRC’s), Labour Unions and Institutional Forums (IF) of the respective institutions to present their concerns to the Committee.

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), Dr L Bosman (DA) Prof A Lotriet (DA), and Mr J Dikobo (AZAPO).

Support Staff: Mr A Kabingesi: Committee Secretary, Ms M Modiba: Content Adviser, Mr L Komle : Researcher and Mr G Mankay : Committee Assistant.

3.2. University of Venda

Management: Prof P Mbati : Vice-Chancellor, Prof X Mbhenyane : Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, Dr J Zaaiman : Deputy Vice-Chancellor Operations, Prof A Nesamvuni : Registrar, Prof J Crafford : Dean Mathematical & Natural Science, Prof J Odiyo : Dean School of Environmental Sciences, Prof A Kadyamatimba : Dean School of Science, Dr B Khoza : Dean Health Sciences, Prof P Mulaudzi : Dean Education, Prof A Hansinh : Dean School of Law, Mr M Ligudu: Acting Deputy Registrar, Prof A Olukoga , Dr N Nthambeleni : Executive Director National Research Foundation, Dr L Kone : Specialist Community Development Exxaro , Dr J Phahlamohlaka : Competency Area Manager CSIR, Dr C Hagenmeier : Director International Relations, Dr G Ekosse : Research and Innovation, Dr C Ndebele: Director, Dr M Mulaudzi : Director Library Services, Mr N Dhumazi : Director Finance, Prof T Ngobeli : Director Institutional Planning & Quality Assurance, Dr H Nesane : Director Facilities Management, Mr L Tshikudi : Head Student Governance & Administration, Mr R Mulovhedzi : Senior Helpdesk & Training Support Officer, Ms R Erasmus: Associate Director Price Waterhouse Coopers and Mr J Vele : Director IT services.

Council: Ms S Mabusela : Chairperson, Adv P Ndou : Member and Mr J Seoka Member.

Institutional Forum: Prof P Mulaudzi : Representative of Senate, Dr D Ngobeli : Representative of Management, Mr M Lamola : Academic Representative, Mr R Mulovedzi : Representative of Administration Staff, Mr K Morwe : Lecturer and Dr A Kutame : Member of Senate.

Unions: Mr A Ntshauba : National Education and Health Allied Workers Union ( Nehawu ), Ms E Masala : Secretary Service Staff, Ms F Mushavhanamani , Mr A Mutoti : Chairperson Service Staff, and Mr A Dama : Paralegal Nehawu .

Student Representative Council: Mr A Mathelemusa : President, Mr M Mokobodi : Minister of Education and Mr E Tshihwilihwili : Minister of Gender and Disability.

3.3. FET colleges in Limpopo

Capricorn FET college: Mr K Madzhie : Principal, Ms J Thupane : Council Chairperson, Mr T Matshitisho : SRC President, Mr A van der Merwe: Support Chief Financial Officer South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), Mr K Riba : Deputy Principal Academic Services, Mr K Pochana : Manager Curriculum and Mr Makgalo : Administration Staff Representative.

Waterberg FET college: Ms K Dipela : Acting Principal, Ms F Vosser : Curriculum Manager, Mr W Modisha : Council Chairperson, Mr S Maredi Deputy Chairperson Council and Ms P Mahlosana : Deputy Finance Manager.

Letaba FET college: Ms M Botha: Principal, Mr C Shikwambana : Lecturer, Mr A Manganyi : Deputy Principal Corporate Services, Ms L Williams: Governance Officer, Mr A Ludick : Acting Curriculum Manager, Mr P Makgoba: SRC President and Mr L Tukani : Support CFO (SAICA).

Vhembe FET college: Mr J Tshifularo : Acting Principal, Mr M Mundalamo : Deputy Principal, Mr N Rendani : SRC President, Mr N Dama : Student Support Manager, Mr B Hlekane : Deputy Principal Academic Services, Mr H Mbedu : Union Representative and Mr T Nekhwevha : Union Representative.

Sekhukhune FET college: Mr T Kekana: Principal, Mr M Mankgaba : Lecturer, Ms G Maja : Librarian and Mr S Makgalemele : Supply Chain Manager.

Mopani South East FET college: Ms S Sehlake : Principal, Mr R Mashalane : SRC President, Ms S Chinamha : Site Steward and Mr A Le Grange: Support CFO (SAICA).

Lephalale FET college: Ms A van Vuuren : Acting Principal and Ms J Mugwena : Academic Staff Representative.

3.4. University of Limpopo

Management: Prof M Mokgalong : Vice-Chancellor, Prof M Sibara : Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof P Msweli : Executive Dean Faculty of Management and Law, Dr D Mohuba : Executive Director Marketing & Communications, Dr M Ngoepe : Director Quality Assurance, Dr J Mbokazi : Director Polokwane Campus, Prof P Mulder: Head Institutional Planning, Dr K Nhlane : Acting Registrar, Mr R Olander : Chief Financial Officer, Mr E Ndlhovu : Executive Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr J Moloto : Executive Director Human Resources, Prof M Rampedi : Executive Dean Humanities and Prof H Siweya : Executive Dean Faculty of Science & Agriculture.

Unions: Mr L Bopape : Chairperson Nehawu , Mr P Skosana: Treasurer Nehawu , Ms T Mabokela : Deputy Chairperson Nehawu and Mr M Madidimalo : Secretary Nehawu .

Student Representative Council: Mr J Nkadimeng : President, Mr V Malema : Deputy President, Mr T Mathebula : Treasurer and Mr S Mashele : Secretary-General.

3.5. FET colleges in Mpumalanga

Nkangala FET college: Dr S Qwabe : Principal, Ms L Malatjie : Council Chairperson, Mr M Mokobaki : Staff Representative, Ms E Masilela : Support Staff Representative and Mr H Zitha : SRC President.

Gert Sibande FET college: Mr N Balkrishen : Principal, Ms D Thwala : Council Chairperson, Ms H van Zyl : Deputy Principal Academic, Mr D Ncongwane : SRC President and Mr M Mathebe : Union Representative.

Ehlanzeni FET college: Mr S Mlangeni: Acting Principal, Ms N Zwane : Council Chairperson, Mr L Macebo : Council Member, Mr A Kubhayi : Secretary-General SRC and Ms N Khoza : Chief Financial Officer.

3.6. National Institute for Higher Education Mpumalanga (NIHE MP)

Prof B Kgoapa : Board Chairperson, Dr H van Zyl : Board Member, Dr P Maminza : Executive Director Academic, Dr N Mlondo : Board Member, Mr G Mathee : Board Member and Dr J Thrush: Executive Director.

3.7. Department of Higher Education and Training

Dr E van Staden : Chief Director University Education, Ms P Whittle: Director, Ms L Mokwena : Director Youth Development Programmes, Mr C De Villiers: Director Examination and Certification, Ms G Umeh : Deputy Director Director-General’s Office and Ms P Sekgobela : Assistant Director DG’s Office.

4. Summary of presentations

4.1. University of Venda

a) Admission Policy, Qualification Verification Process, Policy on Articulation, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Student Accommodation

Prof A Nesamvuni : Registrar led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The admission policy of the university clearly stated that no person shall be enrolled for a module for any degree, diploma or certificate unless he / she satisfied all the requirements of the university statute. The student was registered when his / her application for admission as student has been approved.

· As from 2012 academic year, measures were put in place and being executed to verify qualification for admission purposes. The university entered into an agreement with Higher Education South Africa (HESA), and the agreement enabled the university to gain access to the downloaded grade 12 results (2009-2012) database. The database enabled the university to check and verify submitted statements of results and Grade 12 certificates. From 2012 academic year going forward, students were no longer required to submit statements of Grade 12 results as they were downloaded by the university from HESA database.

· In terms of withholding of student certificates, it was confirmed that the university withheld the certificates due to one of the following: outstanding fees, disciplinary outcomes, outstanding library books and materials, outstanding sports equipment as well as room keys. However, the university provided statements of results in order not to disadvantage students when applying for employment.

· The university had a total enrolment of 11897 students for the 2013 academic year and 100% of them were blacks. Less than 10% of the university students were from foreign countries with majority of them from Nigeria. It also had a total of 57 registered students with disabilities.

· UNIVEN had a policy on RPL which provided alternative route into a programme of learning for those who did not meet the formal entry requirements for admission. The policy was applied differently by different schools with approval of Senate and it was used mostly in the School of Education and Health Sciences. In terms of articulation of students from FET Colleges, the University was planning to develop a policy in collaboration with FET Colleges to address articulation.

· The university continued to face severe shortage of student housing where only 2165 out of the total enrolment number can be accommodated in the residences. 40% of the total beds were allocated to the first entering students and 60% of them to female students. The university had one accredited off-campus residence that accommodated 218 students. There were challenges with private accommodation which the university did not have control over. Students were exploited by providers while the conditions of the rooms were inhabitable with no safety and security measures. The university benefitted from the Department of Higher Education and Training infrastructure grant and a process was underway to build new residences with 400 beds.

b) Student Enrolment, Graduation and Throughput Rate, Research Output and Development of New Generation of Academics

Prof X Mbhenyane : Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Of the total university enrolment for the 2013 academic, 80% of students were registered in undergraduate degrees, 5% in undergraduate Diplomas and Masters and 1% in Doctoral studies. Majority of the university students were registered in Science Engineering and Technology (SET) programmes 44%, followed by Humanities and Law 21% and Business Management 19%. The total number of disabled students was 101 (0.98%) of the total enrolment.

· The pass rate in undergraduate programmes was 82% above the national average of 75%. The graduation rate was 23% above the national average of 18%. Approximately 30% of academic staff members had Doctoral qualifications. The student lecturer ratio of the university was 1:35 students. The university had various programmes for academic staff development and generation of future academics. The university had 16 National Research Fund (NRF) rated researchers and three research chairs, one awarded by Land Bank in 2009 and two by the Department of Science and Technology / NRF worth R5 million annually.

· The university had a number of partnerships with industries for placement of students for work integrated learning. Partnerships included MTN, Banks, Tshikondeni Coal of Africa, Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), Local and District Municipalities and the Provincial Department. International partnerships included bilateral partnership with northern hemisphere universities.

c) Integrated Transformation Plan, NSFAS Allocation Process and Staff Compliment

Dr J Zaaiman : Deputy Vice-Chancellor Operations led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· An Integrated Transformation Plan for the university which was approved by Council on 21 June 2013 was the culmination of thorough consultative meetings with internal structures and members of council who made valuable inputs into the document.

· The university claimed R281 million from National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) but received a total allocation of R261 million. An amount of R84 million was already allocated and R197 million was outstanding. The total number of qualifying students who were registered was 8349 and 70% of the registered students were funded by NSFAS.

· The new NSFAS central application process to be introduced in 2014 was not clearly communicated to the university and this remained a serious concern.

· The total number of staff compliment of the university was 773 employees (349 females and 424 males), with 297 blacks, 22 whites, 5 Indians and 2 coloureds . The university had a smaller professoriate and only 34% of staff had PhDs.

· The university experienced growth in number of active researchers.

d) Success and Challenges

Prof P Mbati : Vice-Chancellor led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The university had a fully functional Council with its sub-committees that met regularly and attendance was not a challenge since members were committed. The internal audit of the university was outsourced to Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) and reported regularly to the Audit Committee.

· The university had various planned budgeted projects for 2012 – 2015 of which 75% of funding was allocated by the Department while the other portion would be from Council controlled budget. The projects included; University training centre, new Health Science building, new student residences of 200 beds at a cost of R67 million, new School of Human and Social Sciences, new Disability Unit, new student centre, campus clinic at a cost of R9,5 million, four soccer pitches and swimming pool.

· The university required funding for the following infrastructure projects; IT Centre at a cost of R60 million, Science Park at a cost of R45 million, Mining Engineering Laboratory at a cost of R34 million, 24 hour study facility at a cost of R24 million, House of Prayer at a cost of R12 million, lecturer hall complex at a cost of R120 million, improved sporting facilities at a cost of R154 million and new School of Law and Legal Aid Clinic at a cost of R62 million.

· The conversion plans to a comprehensive university project was completed and programme qualification mix was already approved by Council on Higher Education (CHE). New professional degrees included; Mining, Agricultural and Water Engineering. New Health Sciences programmes; Pharmacy, Optometry, Dentistry, and Biomedical Technology. The difficulty towards a complete conversation was hampered by required resources such as staff costs, infrastructure in terms of specialised lecture venues, experiential laboratories and equipment.

· A R22 million contract was signed with Construction SETA on construction related projects.

· The main challenges of the university included; no title deed for the land on which the university was built, high student lecturer ratio, inequitable distribution of resources across institutions by both the Department of Higher Education and Department of Science and Technology (e.g. allocation of research chairs) and additional infrastructure required such as office space.

e) Council

Council members raised the following key issues:

· The relationship between management and Council was good and the Vice-Chancellor provided good leadership on managerial side. Attendance by council members in Council meetings was good and all Council sub-committees were fully functional. Council members did not have financial interest in the university hence conflict of interest was not a concern.

· A rigorous process was followed for appointment of service providers or awarding of tenders to avoid conflict of interest. The university had a hotline for any member of the university or society to report fraud practices.

· The main challenge of the university was funding for the R770 million infrastructure plan . Currently, the university experienced a serious challenge of infrastructure backlog ranging from shortage of student housing, inadequate sport facilities and lecturer halls.

· Council was concerned that the current financial model favoured the previously advantaged universities and if not reviewed the previously disadvantaged universities would continue to play catch-up for many years to come. It also commended the financial support received from the Department of Higher Education and Training as it enabled the university to improve on infrastructure.

· The university did not have title deed of the land in which it was built. All the technical work was done in fulfilling the requirements by the municipality and the Provincial Department. However, the delays in obtaining a title deed remained a serious concern for the university.

f) Student Representative Council

Mr A Mathelemusa : President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Relationship with management: The relationship between management and the SRC had improved unlike in the past where SRC members did not follow proper channels to meet the VC. The VC was accessible and listened to the concerns of student leadership.

· Irregular admissions: A concern was raised around the negative publicity of the university in the media. The recent reported case of students admitted with irregular grade 12 certificates was a serious indictment to the university’s admission policy. It was felt that the incident would compromise the credibility of students of the university in the future when they seek employment.

· Resulting and certification: Late release of student’s results remained a serious for the SRC and 30% of students had not received their June examination results during the time of oversight. Withholding of students results with outstanding fees owed to the university was a concern for the SRC.

· Student housing: Inadequate student housing in the university remained a serious concern. Of the total number of 11987 students registered for the 2013 academic year, only 2000 of them could be accommodated in student residences. The SRC proposed that 40% of students should be accommodated in student residences because off-campus residences were not conducive for learning.

· Infrastructure: The university had a serious challenge of inadequate infrastructure. Students with disabilities had serious challenges in accessing some buildings in the university. The university did not have adequate sporting and recreational facilities. The capacity of the university was built to cater for 6000 students and that number had double in 2013.

· Inadequate procurement systems: Tenders in the university had been awarded to one service provider who was responsible for renovation of student residence showers and fixing of potholes. It was alleged that certain employees at the procurement office developed relationship with certain service providers who were awarded contracts frequently.

· Online registration: The online registration system of the university was poorly administered. The system was difficult to use and did not allow students to choose subjects appropriately. Less than 2% of the total number of registered students applied online.

g) Labour Unions and Institutional Forum (IF)

The labour unions representatives raised the following key issues:

· Relationship with management: The relationship between management and union was positive. Management consulted with the unions regularly on important decision that it implemented.

· Conversion: The area of concern for unions was the conversion of the university to be a comprehensive university offering wide range of academic programmes. Funding was the main concern for the project as the university did not have adequate reserves to manage the conversion.

· Outsourcing: Outsourcing of services to private providers remained a serious concern for the unions. The university outsourced work that could be done by service staff unnecessary and that showed lack of confidence to employees.

· Working conditions: The student lecturer ratio in the university was high and there was overcrowding in the lecture hall. Lecturers were overworked due to lack of capacity and they experienced inadequate administrative support. Inadequate office space remained a serious challenge and internet connectivity at times was poor.

· Victimisation : There was a fear of vicitimisation among staff members when they raised serious concerns against management. It was reported that two whistleblowers who reported corruption and irregularities were suspended from the university. The Lathola Report on Human Resource Investigation was not given to the union for its consideration.

· Irregularities in procurement: Inflation of prices by service providers remained a serious concern. Service providers appointed by the university did shoddy work and were paid full amount for their services.

4.2. Strategic Session with FET colleges of Limpopo

a) Letaba FET college

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

· Letaba FET college, previously known as Mopani East FET college consisted of the central office based in Tzaneen with three campuses namely; Giyani, Maake and Tzaneen.

· The college Council term of office ended on 31 July 2012 and no new Council was appointed since the term ended to date. The college lacked the operation of an effective Council. The Audit Committee was functional and operational as this committee was appointed in terms of Treasury Regulations.

· The SRC of the college was operational and functional and met quarterly. The SRC Annual General meeting was held each year.

· None oversight function of the Council in the activities of the college remained a serious concern and the Department should prioritise the appointment of new Council.

· The total number of staff in the college was 233 (109 male and 123 female employees). Staff challenges included; non-filling of vacant posts, insufficient campus structures for the delivery of curriculum, lack of qualified lecturers in some fields and staff attitude towards working environment and service delivery.

· The total number of headcount enrolments in the college for 2013 was 5094 and majority of students were enrolled in the NC( V) programmes (2617).

· The college was allocated R26 million for bursaries for the 2013 academic year. Some of the challenges in administration of NSFAS bursary included; students canceling their studies after being awarded bursary, late release of results, late payment of NSFAS and submission of irregular documents by students.

· The college experienced inadequate pass rate in the NC( V) programme especially in Engineering Level 2-3 owing to lack of qualified lecturers in the subject.

· The college did not have student residences in any of its campuses and no dedicated funding for student residences was allocated to the college since the merger.

Student Representative Council

Mr P Makgoba: SRC President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Lack of student housing remained a serious concern for students of the college. Students from surrounding areas of the college were forced to daily commute to the college.

· Absence of Council made it very difficult for management to operate effectively. There were certain decisions that management could not implement owing to lack of Council.

· Student affiliation bodies gave instructions to the SRC on matters that affected students and this made the work of the SRC complicated.

Unions

The union representatives raised the following issues:

· Absence of Council made it very difficult for management of the college to implement decisions that affect employees.

· The management of the college did not implement decisions agreed with the labour unions.

· The Department conducted an investigation in the irregularities of the college and the report of that investigation had not yet been submitted to the college.

b) Capricorn FET college

Mr K Madhzie : Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The term of the College Council expired on 31 July 2012 and it resolved to continue so that the operations of the college should not be affected. Council had a fully functional Audit Committee which consisted of external members.

· The SRC of the college was fully functional and it managed its own budget. The election process of the SRC was supervised by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

· The college had serious challenge of infrastructure backlog. Shortage of student housing was the main concern for students. Owing to inadequate infrastructure, all Report 191 classes were conducted in the afternoon by the same lecturers who lectured NC( V) students in the morning classes.

· Leakage of examination papers remained a serious concern for all colleges in the province. Majority of leakages did not occur within the premises of the college. In certain instances exam papers were sold at the gate to students. The culprit was arrested and a case opened against him.

· The college had a total enrolment of 10408 students for the 2013 academic year. The Polokwane Campus had 3942, Seshego Campus 4822 and Senwabarwana Campus 1644.

· The NC( V) certification rate remained a serious concern for the college especially in NC(V) Level 2-3.

· The college had a number of partnerships with nearby industries which included; Den Kirk for Boiler Making, SETAs, Plumbing and Bricklaying Project with Polokwane Municipality, New Venture Creation project and many other partnerships.

· The college was allocated R45 million for bursaries in NC( V) programmes by NSFAS in 2013. The whole amount had already been claimed by the college and there was a shortage of R1.8 million for 437 students. The allocation for Report 191 bursaries was R18.8 million and R9.7 million was already claimed.

Student Representative Council

Mr T Matshidisho : President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Teaching and learning was disrupted by lecturers participating in strikes. Lecturers affiliated to unions were not committed to teaching and spent most of their time resolving labour disputes.

· Staff members assigned to assist students with bursary administration did not have sufficient capacity which resulted in late submission of bursary application forms to NSFAS which resulted in delay of transfer of funds by NSFAS to the College.

· Shortage of student housing remained a serious concern for students. Payment of transport and accommodation allowance for off-campus students was often delayed.

· Needy students were required to pay upfront payment before they could be registered at the college.

c) Waterberg FET college

Ms K Dipela : Acting Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The college operated across two municipal districts namely; Lepelle-Nkumpi and Mogalakwena municipalities. The Central Office of the college was situated in Mokopane .

· The term of office of the Council expired in July 2012 and Council requested from the Minister for an extension of term of office to continue until new Council members were appointed. Unfortunately, there was no response from the Minister regarding this request and the Council continued.

· The operational budget of the college for 2013/14 was R55 million and capital budget R26 million. The main challenges of the college were retention and attraction of teaching staff and remuneration bands not competitive.

· The total enrolment for 2013 academic year was 3255 students. The retention rate in 2012 was 87% (61% nationally) and certification 55% (42% nationally) which were the highest in Limpopo.

· The college had serious challenges with certification. The college received only in 2013 NC( V) Level 2 certificates from Umalusi for the period 2007-2010. NC( V) Level 3-4 certificates were still outstanding as well as Level 2 certificates for 2012. This led to student’s unrest / riots and students were unable to further their studies or apply for jobs.

· A new campus attached to the college would be constructed in Thabazimbi .

· The college had a challenge of receiving errata during exams while students were already writing exams.

· The bursary allocation for NC( V) programmes was R23.7 million for 2013 and R1.2 million for Report 191. The college managed to claim 100% of its final NC( V) allocation by the end of June for the past two years. Late payment of transport allowance remained a serious challenge for the college. The allocation could not cater for all needy students as majority of them fell within the qualifying criteria.

· Student housing was a serious challenge for the college as it had space for only 18% of the total enrolment.

· The college had partnership with Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) for articulation of students. Other partnerships of the college included; SETAs, National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), National Skills Fund (NSF) and other industries.

· The SRC and Unions of the college couldn’t attend the strategic session of the Committee owing to other commitments.

d) Sekhukhune FET college

Mr T Kekana: Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The total enrolment for Full Time Equivalent (FTE) students was 1800 in the college and majority of them in the NC( V) programmes. The drop-out rate in the 2013 academic year to date was 107 students and majority of them in Engineering. The 2012 certification rate in NC( V) programme was 33%.

· The college had number of partnerships with industries and government institutions which included; ABSA, SETAs, Zimbabwe School of Mines, Xstrata, Anglo Platinum, Impala Mine, Provincial Department of Health and many other institutions.

· Work placement was the policy of the college to support each and every student within the context of the relevant training programme. The college had a Placement Officer based at the Central Office to assist students. For the 2013 academic year, 50% of NC( V) and 40% of Report 191 students had been placed.

Student Representative Council

Mr Lesigo President: SRC led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Allocation of NSFAS was not sufficient to assist all the needy students. Needy students were required to pay upfront registration fee during registration period.

· The presence of political affiliations in the college disturbed the work of the SRC owing to their demands.

· Student housing remained a serious concern for the college. The college could only accommodate 350 students of the total 1800 enrolled students. The living conditions in the student residences were not conducive to learning. The college did not provide private accommodation and transport.

· Pending results and outstanding certificates remained a serious challenge for students. Failure rate in Engineering Report 191 was too high. Employment of lecturers without qualification was a concern for students.

· There was no equipment for disabled student and the environment of the college was not use friendly for students with disabilities.

Unions

The labour representatives raised the following issues:

· The college did not have adequately qualified lecturers in certain subjects especially in Engineering. Lecturers were often recruited by big industries which offered better salary packages as compared to the college. The college was situated in deep rural areas which made it very difficult to attract qualified lecturers.

· Nepotism remained a serious concern for the union in the college. Managers were abusing their authority over workers and demands of workers were not addressed by management.

e) Vhembe FET college

Mr J Tshifularo : Acting Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The term of the college council expired in July 2012 just like all the other colleges in the province. The college had a total enrolment of 12651 students for 2013 and a new the Tshisimani Campus was opened last year.

· Delays in the release of results by the department and high absenteeism during internal assessments remained serious challenges for the college.

· The 2012 NC( V) certification rate was 21%, drop-out rate 10% and Report 191 certification rate was 25% and drop-out rate 8%.

· The leakage of examination papers occurred outside the premises of the college.

· NSFAS paid only 30% of the claims so far and this was a challenge for the college since majority of students depended on the bursary for studying.

· The college had 125 currently existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with SETAs and other partners. Industry limitation was a challenge for the college since it was situated in a rural area.

Student Representative Council

N Rendani : SRC President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Shortage of classrooms and ablution facilities remained a serious challenge for students.

· Pending results for both NC( V) and Report 191 courses affected students.

· Inadequate sport facilities in the college were a challenge for recreational activities.

· Limited internet access for students made it very difficult for them to complete their assignments.

· Misconduct by lecturers included; sexual harassment, student victimisation and corruption during examination period.

Unions

The labour representatives raised the following issues:

· Management had complete disregard of the unions in the college. The relationship between unions and management was not good. Victimisation of union leaders remained a serious challenge. There was factionalism within management of the college.

· The unions did not have confidence in the current leadership of the college. Students in Engineering did not continue with their syllabus ever since the lecturer was dismissed at the beginning of the year.

· The working conditions in the college were not good. The student lecturer ratio was high and lecturers were overworked. Staff development was not prioritised by management of the college.

f) Mopani South East college

Ms S Sehlake : Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The College Council’s term of office expired in July 2012. The SRC was fully functional and the Deputy Principal for Corporate Service was not yet appointed.

· The college was allocated R8 million for NC( V) programmes bursaries and R4 million for Report 191 programmes. The college exhausted the NSFAS funding and Report 191 students who were to register for the trimester could not be funded. This was because the requested amount was reduced and the communication came late to the college.

· Outstanding NC( V) certificates and pending results remained a serious challenge for the college. The public and other stakeholders were unhappy since this dented the image of the sector.

· The College found out that there was a leak of examination paper on the 22 July 2013.

· There was a challenge of lecturers not attending classes during marking periods.

· To reduce absenteeism, the college installed ER finger security system for students to clock.

· The college had various partnerships with Local Municipality, SETAs, Mines and other big corporates .

Student Representative Council

Mr R Mashalane : SRC President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Bursary allocation was not sufficient to cater for all the needs of students. The college did not have student housing to accommodate students from the surrounding areas.

· Absenteeism among students was high and the SRC proposed that the college should have an electronic fingerprint system to track student’s attendance.

· Workplace opportunities were limited for students owing to inadequate partnership with industries.

· Late allocation of NSFAS bursary and outstanding results were the serious challenges of students.

Unions

The labour representatives highlighted the following key issues:

· The relationship between management and the unions improved in the college although there were areas of concerns between the two parties. Unions were offered a platform to engage with management on matters that affected employees.

· Dismissal of shop stewards by management remained a serious concern for unions.

· Filling of vacant lecturer posts in the college took too long and this affected students.

g) Lephalale FET college

Ms A van Vuuren : Acting Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· There was no College Council since July 2012 to date in the college. This restricted college staff establishment. The absence of the governing body to assume its roles and responsibilities remained a serious challenge for the college.

· The college had serious challenge of infrastructure especially shortage of classrooms and student residences.

· There was a delay in transfer of NSFAS allocation to the college. Accommodation and transport claims paid to students were not utilised as per intended purposes.

· The NC( V) certification rate for 2012 was 26% while Report 191 was 25%. The NC( V) programme was not popular owing to duration and local demand for Report 191. Human resource for academic and counseling support to students remained a serious concern.

· The retention over the past year in different programmes was 86%. Students used the NC( V) as a stepping stone for Report 191 Engineering. The throughput rate was fairly high in Report 191 construction programme owing to demand.

· Many initiatives were under way and relationships had been formed with industries. However, the support from the local municipality was not satisfactory.

· The college did not have student resident facilities or land to erect them. Students used public transport which was not efficient. Accommodation was a severe challenge in the precinct of the college. Four companies promised to assist in building student residences in the college.

· The SRC students were writing exams hence they could not participate in the strategic session of the Committee.

Unions

The labour representatives raised the following key issues:

· Delays in implementation of collective bargaining resolutions affected staff morale of the college.

· There was a huge demand of artisans in Lephalale owing to the construction of the Medupi Power Plant and the mines in the precinct of the college. Lecturers were attracted to better remuneration offers that were provided by industries leaving a huge vacuum of qualified lecturers in the colleges.

· The absence of College Council since June 2012 remained a serious concern for the college. The acting CEO handled almost everything in the college and this affected her relationship with employees.

· The working conditions for lecturers remained a serious concern. The college was understaffed and lecturers worked from 7am – 9pm in the evening owing to shortage of staff.

4.3. University of Limpopo ( Turfloop Campus)

a) Governance, Articulation, Academic Performance, Research Outputs, Partnerships, NSFAS and Student Accommodation

Prof P Mulder: Head Institutional Planning led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The university had a stable and functional Council and Sub-Committees which met regularly. It also had a functional senate that operated within the university statute. Management was appointed in terms of university organisational and academic structure and relevant legislation.

· Articulation was determined by Higher Education Qualification Sub-framework (HEQSF). FET college articulation was more applicable to Higher Certificate and Diplomas which were mainly offered by Comprehensive Universities and Universities of Technology. The university did not play a significant role in the articulation of FET students. The university had a policy on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) aligned to HEQF requirements and guidelines.

· The total enrolment for 2012 was 22441 students and 80% of the total enrolment was undergraduates and 90% of students were black. In terms of cohort over five years: 10% of the cohort was still studying, 19% dropped out and 71% graduated. It was found that majority of drop-outs were experienced at first year level of studies.

· The university had a policy on certification and the management confirmed that they withheld certificates of owing students until they fully paid their outstanding debts.

· The university reported that if students who qualified for NSFAS were paying on their own, they would have generated an income of R444 million for the university. However, the allocation from NSFAS for 2013 academic year left the university with a serious shortfall. The university was expecting an additional R30 million.

· The university applied a “top-slicing” policy where each qualifying students received R26 000 which already left students with an outstanding debts.

· Student accommodation was a challenge in the university. The university owned residences had 9186 beds and 1000 privately owned beds for Medunsa Campus. . The occupancy rate was 44% of the total student enrolment. Recent developments for new infrastructure funding included; Turfloop campus R120 million and Medunsa campus R60 million.

· The university was considering a public-private partnership for building students accommodation and a proposal was sent to the Minister for consideration.

b) Student Representative Council

Mr J Nkadimeng : President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Accommodation: Student accommodation was serious challenge in the university. There were 17000 registered students in the Turfloop Campus with only 6000 beds to accommodate them. The living conditions in the residences were not conducive to learning. Off campus accommodation was in poor state. The living conditions for students there were worse compared to on-campus accommodation. There were no norms and standards set for off-campus accommodation. Safety and security of students living off-campus residences remained a serious challenge. Students were vulnerable to criminals owing to absence of security at off-campus accommodation. There were reported cases of student’ deaths due to criminal activities. The admission policy for student residence was exclusionary since students were required to have a 100% pass in their subjects before they could be accepted.

· NSFAS: Allocation of NSFAS to needy students did not cover all tuition and accommodation fees leaving students with huge debt owed to the university. The demand for NSFAS in the university exceeded the current allocation since majority of students came from underprivileged backgrounds. The new NSFAS central application system would deprive many students an opportunity to study in the university. The proposed system required all students to have mobile phones and some students came from poor families and did not have mobile phones. Majority of students in Limpopo came from rural areas with limited access to computers and the new system required students to apply online or via post. The SRC proposed that the current system should remain.

· Withholding of certificates: Majority of NSFAS beneficiaries graduated with huge debt owed to the university owing to top slicing. This resulted in students not obtaining their certificates after completion of their studies until they finally paid all outstanding debt.

· Relationship with management: SRC had cordial relationship with management of the university. The VC was accessible to the student leadership of the university. However, management did not consult the SRC on major infrastructure development within the campus. Although the SRC opposed to fee increment, management imposed it.

c) Unions

Mr L Bopape : Chairperson Nehawu led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Merger: The merger of the university with the Medunsa campus was a long and challenging process which the management and unions played a very critical role especially on harmonisation of condition of service and policies of the two universities. The employees at the Medunsa Campus were against the merger process with a university situated in a rural area. This affected the migration process of employees from Medunsa campus to work at the Turfloop campus.

· Irregularities in overtime claims: It was alleged that certain staff at the Medunsa campus earned three times more than their salary owing to irregular claims on overtime.

· Demerger: The unions were not updated regarding the unbundling process with the Medunsa campus. Although so much time and effort was put in coordinating the merger, the unions welcomed the decision to unbundle the two universities. However, additional funding should be allocated to facilitate the unbundling process and ensure that neither party would be affected negatively by the process.

· Nepotism: There were serious nepotism practices in the university. The employment and promotion policies were not followed for certain individuals. Irregular appointment of interns to permanent positions was a serious challenge in the university.

4.4. Strategic Session with FET colleges in Mpumalanga

a) Kangala FET college

Dr S Qwabe : Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The college had a functional College Council with eight external members and their term would expire at the end of November 2013. The college had an internal audit that was functioning. The SRC of the college was also fully functional. The college had a principal, two appointed Deputy Principals and a CFO.

· The college had 211 academic staff and 144 support staff. In relations to finance, the college received an unqualified audit in 2012 and it had a budget of R166 million in 2012 and R191 million in 2013.

· The instruction from the Department that did not allow vacant posts to be filled permanently had an adverse effect in the attempt for the college to fill vacant posts.

· The total number of enrolled NC( V) students for 2013 was 2765 and 9256 for Report 191.

· The 2013 total allocation for the NC( V) programme bursaries was R20 million and all of it had been claimed. The total allocation for Report 191 programme was R5.8 million.

· The 2012 NC( V) certification rate was 35%, throughput rate 77%, retention rate 68%, pass rate 72% and drop-out rate 9%.

· The college had one campus with a residence that can accommodate 400 students.

Student Representative Council

Mr H Zitha : SRC President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Articulation of NC( V) Level 4 students to universities remained a serious concern for students in the college. The SRC proposed that university application forms should include NC( V) Level 4 as a minimum requirement.

· The absence of NSFAS Financial Aid Offices (FAO) in colleges unlike universities was a serious challenge. The student support services of the college did not have adequate capacity to assist student with administration of NSFAS bursary application forms.

· Student accommodation was a serious challenge for the college. Only one campus out of the five campuses had student residence.

Unions

The labour representatives raised the following key issues:

· There was an overlap in the NC( V) and Report 191 curriculum such that students repeated certain subjects and this required an urgent review.

· Lecturers were attracted to better salary offers that were provided by big industries and there was no retention strategy to address the exodus of lecturers to industries. There was a need to skill lecturers in the FET sector so that they have trade test certificate to be qualified artisans.

· Administration work of the NC( V) programme was time consuming and affected the contact time with students. The NC( V) programme had practical’s and required more contact time with students and, lecturers were spending more time in preparing portfolio of evidence for students.

· The standard of the placement test for admission of students to the NC( V) programmes was too low.

b) Gert Sibande FET college

Mr N Balkrishen : Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The College Council was fully functional including the Audit Committee. The Academic Board and SRC of the college were also functional. Good governance and sound financial management practices were implemented in the college.

· The college had zero tolerance towards corruption and it had been receiving unqualified audits since its merger in 2004.

· The PERSAL system for employees of the college was managed internally. This enhanced efficiency of the college as vacancies were filled within a short space of time.

· The 2012 subject pass rate in the college was 85%, certification rate in NC( V) 56%, certification rate in Report 191 37%, retention rate 88% and attendance rate 78%.

· The 2013 student enrolment was 4473 for NC( V), 3447 for Report 191, 2198 for skills and learnersihps and the grand total was 10118 students.

· The 2013 NSFAS total allocation for bursaries was R45 million with additional bursary from other sources of R1.8 million. The bursary covered approximately 70% of the student population while the need was 90%. The college wrote off student fees in excess of R2 million as bad debts annually.

· The college spent close to R100 million over the last three years on infrastructure projects. Each campus had a Student Support Centre.

· The college partnered with Pearsons Publishers for the development of E-textbook used on a tablet which was launched on 12 April 2013. The college was the first in the country to use electronic textbooks.

· Khuphula was a web based portal for lecturers to assist them to communicate efficiently as the campuses were situated far away from each other.

· The college had various projects to assist students with experiential learning. The projects included; desk refurbishment, fixing of potholes, school maintenance and partnership with SETAs.

· The marketing strategy of the college was good in attracting learners. Every town where the college is present had a huge billboard of the college. The surrounding schools were often visited by the marketing department of the college. However, former Model C schools did not allow the college to market its products to learners.

· Outstanding certificates and results affected students negatively.

Student Representative Council

Mr D Ncongwane : SRC President led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· Inadequate bursary allocation, shortage of student accommodation, late payment of NSFAS bursary allocation, outstanding certificates and results were among the main challenges of students in the college.

Unions

The labour representatives raised the following key issues:

· There was need for a model to integrate the NC( V) and Report 191 curriculum for the benefit of students.

Lecturer’s remuneration packages required an urgent review since majority of lecturers were leaving the FET sector for greener pastures. Disparities in lecturer’s remuneration should be addressed by the Department.

c) Ehlanzeni FET college

Mr S Mlangeni: Acting Principal led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· The college had a functional Council whose term of office would expire in December 2013. Other statutory committees were also functional such as Audit Committee, SRC and Academic Board. For the past three and a half years the college had two different acting Principals and, no appointment had been made yet for a permanent Principal.

· The college had 6 campuses and only two were situated in urban areas. The campuses of the college were spread across the whole Ehlanzeni District. The college had a total of 7631 students across all its campuses. The growth in the number of students increased pressure on the limited infrastructure of the college.

· The NSFAS bursary allocation for 2013 was R34 million and the college claimed R54 million. Additional funding was required to assist the shortage.

· Leakage of exam papers outside the college as well as non-existence of legislation to regulate exam process remained a serious concern for the FET sector.

· The college had both formal and informal partnership with industries. Three out six campuses of the college had student accommodation.

· The NC( V) certification rate for 2012 was 43%, retention rate 89% and for Report 191 the certification rate was 18%, retention rate 88%.

· Student unrest over issues that fell outside their mandate was a concern in the college.

Student Representative Council

Mr A Kubhayi : Secretary-General SRC led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· High failure rate among report 191 students remained a serious concern. The minimum pass mark for mathematics of 30% did not assist students who wanted to articulate to universities which required 50% pass mark for admission.

· Student’s belongings were lost in the private accommodation since the landlord used it as a guest house during school holidays.

Unions

The labour representatives raised the following key issues:

· The college experienced high attrition rate of engineering lecturers. The migration process for employees of the FET sector was not adequately articulated by the Department and this developed low staff morale.

4.5. National Institute of Higher Education (NIHE) Nelspruit

Dr P Maminza : Executive Director Academic led the presentation which highlighted the following key issues:

· NIHE was a statutory public entity established under the Higher Education Act No 101 of 1997 as amended. NIHE did not offer tuition nor did it award degrees to students. NIHE was an unlisted Schedule 3A public entity with its board and accounted to the Minister. The board was proclaimed in June 2006 with Prof B Khoapa as the Chairperson till this far. The CEO of NIHE was Prof C Mokgadi . The internal audit of NIHE was outsourced to KPMG and it had been receiving unqualified audits since its inception. NIHE never had an over expenditure since its inception.

· NIHE partnered with University of South Africa (UNISA), University of Pretoria (UP), Vaal University of Technology (VUT) and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).

· NIHE research projects included; feasibility study on the establishment of a university in Mpumalanga, provision of Engineering Education in Mpumalanga and analysis of the Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET).

· The Siyabuswa Campus (former Ndebele College of Education) was launched on 26 February 2013 and offered Bachelor of Education ( B.Ed ) foundation phase programme. The students were registered as University of Johannesburg (UJ) students. NIHE spent R26 million in refurbishment of the Siyabuswa Campus in five months and all the 99 registered students were accommodated at the Campus. Students at the Siyabuswa Campus were awarded full bursaries from the European Union (EU) bursary allocation (R3.2 million). NIHE was allocated R16.8 million grant from the Department for 2013/14.

· NIHE supported the establishment of the new university in Mpumalanga by visiting various sites identified as the new university campuses.

· The autonomy of the partner institutions operating in the province implied that NIHE could not determine and prescribe on the programmes offered by them.

· NIHE did not have an SRC since it did not offer tuition programmes to students nor did it have a union for its employees.

5. Observations

The following formed part of the key observations:

a) University of Venda

· The university had a serious challenge of infrastructure backlog which resulted in overcrowding of lecturer rooms. Only 10% of the student population was accommodated in student residences. Students with disabilities struggled to access certain buildings within the university. Inadequate sport and recreational facilities remained a serious concern for students.

· It emerged that 21 students were admitted with irregular National Senior Certificate (NSC) during the 2013 registration period. However, the students involved were later expelled from the university. An internal investigation was underway to determine staff involvement in the scandal. A new directorate was underway to improve quality assurance in the university.

· It emerged that 150 hectares of the 235 hectares of land of the university was tribal land. Progress in obtaining title deed for the entire land of the university was very slow and affected the university’s infrastructure expansion project.

· The university operated with R500 million budget per annum and it was concerned with the conversion process to be a comprehensive university since this was an unfunded mandate. However, a coordinator for the conversion process would be appointed.

· The Committee was concerned that the university did not have an RPL policy yet. RPL was mostly used for access to university programmes than empowering experienced candidates with formal qualifications.

· The university acknowledged that it had a serious challenge of late release of student results and a new IT system would be introduced to improve student academic affairs.

· It emerged that the dismissal of union leaders was not linked to whistle blowing as claimed by the unions. However, they were involved in organising unprotected strike and a report on this matter was available.

· The university was in a process of appointing a new head of supply chain management and a new SCM policy was underway to curb the reported irregularities in procurement of services.

· Inadequate labour forum where matters affecting employees were discussed with management resulted in fear of reprisal among employees of the university.

· The university under utilised its law centre by requesting for legal opinions from expensive outsourced law firms.

b) FET colleges in Limpopo

The following formed part of the key observations:

· The term of office of all College Councils in Limpopo expired at the end of July 2012 and some colleges operated with de facto Councils. In some FET colleges the Principal exercised the role of the accounting authority. This was a serious breach of law as the FET colleges Act No 16 of 2006 did not make provision for Council to continue with its fiduciary duties after its term expired.

· The Department was in the process of appointing Deputy-Principals for the Colleges but there was an irregularity in the appointments where some Deputy-Principals were appointed at post level 11 while others were on level 12.

· Absence of College Councils made it very difficult for management of colleges to exercise their duties efficiently. Employees were also affected since labour resolutions could not be implemented by management.

· FET colleges in Limpopo had a serious challenge of baseline infrastructure backlog. This contributed to lack of student housing in almost all the colleges in the province. Sport and recreational facilities were a major concern for student life in the province.

· The NC( V) and Report 191 certification pass rates were low. One of major concern raised was the absence of adequately qualified lecturers especially for scarce skills programmes.

· Articulation of FET college students to higher education remained a serious concern owing to poor pass rates of subjects.

· Colleges were losing qualified lecturers to nearby industries which offered better remuneration packages and provided good working conditions.

· Delays in the issuing of outstanding NC( V) certificates since 2007 frustrated students who were unable to seek employment or continue with their studies. Pending results especially in the Report 191 Engineering resulted in colleges promoting all students to the next level without verifying the outcome of the examination results. The Committee was extremely concerned with this practice since it was illegal and would have a devastating effect on students once they discovered that they didn’t pass.

· Delays by the Department in filling of Deputy Principal vacant posts affected the college’s operations. The instruction from the Department for colleges not to fill outstanding vacant posts also caused unnecessary understaffing.

· Leakage of examination papers affected Report 191 Engineering programme mostly and the leakages happened outside the college premises. It was alleged that private colleges were partly responsible for the leakage of exam papers since their exams were not administered concurrently with public FET colleges

· Late payment of NSFAS transport and accommodation bursary allocation contributed to student drop-out.

· It emerged that the delay in the appointment of council members was partly contributed by the verification process of the credentials and suitability of candidates to fill the Council posts.

· It was noted with serious concern that certain colleges demanded upfront payment from poor students during registration period before they could be admitted.

· It emerged that the Acting Principal of Vhembe FET College had been acting in the position for the past seven years without permanent appointment done. One of the reasons given was that there were no candidates who were suitably qualified for the post. The Department promised to fill the outstanding Deputy-Principals posts before the end of the year.

· It was noted with serious concern that Deputy-Principals were appointed at different post levels where some were at level 11 while others were at level 12.

· The Committee was concerned with the serious allegations of students bribing lecturers to get better marks and allegations of sexual misconduct by certain lecturers at Vhembe FET College and requested the Department to investigate the matter.

· It emerged that Mopani South East FET College exhausted its NSFAS allocation since it admitted more students than it initially budgeted for.

· Irregularities in credit transfer of Maths and English students who passed grade 12 for NC( V) programme was a serious challenge in the province.

· Inadequate labour management forum affected the relationship between management and unions in almost all the colleges in the province.

· Owing to late payment of transport and accommodation allowance by NSFAS, colleges allocated the money late during the year to students who used it for other purposes.

· Colleges in the province did not have international partnerships for student exchange programmes. The Committee advised colleges to develop strong links with other international colleges to enhance their capacity.

c) University of Limpopo

The following formed part of the key observations:

· The university used withholding of student certificates as debt recovery method. It was raised with concern that this method disadvantaged students from under privileged families and affected their prospects for future employment.

· It emerged that 70% of the student population relied on NSFAS for studying at the university. The NSFAS allocation was not adequate to meet the demand for financial assistance given the background of most students in the university. In mitigating this challenge, the university used the top slicing model to assist as many students as possible while the final allocation per student was not sufficient to cover all the tuition costs. This left students with huge debt owed to the university upon completion of their studies.

· Articulation of FET college students to the university was a challenge since the university was not a comprehensive university and most of its programmes were not linked with the curriculum of FET colleges.

· The university acknowledged the challenge of shortage of accommodation and it was in a process of building new residences to address this challenge. The university provided transport for off-campus students to limit the risk of being exposed to criminal activities.

· Under-preparedness of students contributed to the high drop-out rate especially among first year students. The university has foundation and extended programmes to assist students to succeed with their studies.

· There was a rapid expansion of private accommodation adjacent to the precinct of the university. It also emerged that there were certain staff members of the university who provided private accommodation for students and this might lead to conflict of interest. It was noted with concern that there were no minimum norms and standards for off-campus accommodation and students lived in conditions not suitable for learning.

· It emerged that certain service providers appointed by the university for infrastructure projects did shoddy work and were paid for their services.

· Absence of women in senior leadership or management of the university remained a serious concern which hadn’t improved since the last Committee visit to the university in 2011.

d) FET colleges in Mpumalanga

The following formed part of the key observations:

· The Committee commended the creative initiatives by Gert Sibande FET college in empowering students with experiential learning projects which benefited society at large. The pass, retention and certification rates of this college was the highest in the province and second highest nationally. Good governance and leadership of this college was exemplary and other colleges were requested to follow the model of Gert Sibande FET college . A student from this college obtained seven distinctions while she came from a disadvantaged family.

· Unlike in Limpopo, all the colleges in Mpumalanga had fully functional Councils and Deputy Principal’s posts were filled. However, the term of office of these Councils would expire at the end of the year and the Department was urged to start the process of appointing new council members as soon as possible.

· The issue of outstanding results and certificates affected all FET colleges in this province.

· It emerged that there was no parity in remuneration of lecturers at the same level in different colleges. There was a high attrition of qualified FET engineering lecturers owing to unattractive remuneration packages. High failure rate in engineering programmes is attributed to attrition of qualified engineering lecturers and colleges not able to retain them with the current salary bands. The attrition forced colleges to rely on unqualified lecturers who are not exposed to industry

· The Committee warned Gert Sibande FET college against writing off student debt as it might have negative financial implications for the college in the near future.

· It emerged that examination moderation process was poorly coordinated by the Department as result, errata in the exam papers was sent after students had finished writing their exams.

· The Department assured FET colleges that the current review of the NC( V) programme would assist in addressing the challenge of the overlaps with the Report 191 curriculum.

· It emerged that a circular was distributed among universities to recognise NC(V) Level 4 as an entry requirement to higher education therefore students were encouraged to apply with their NC(V) certificates.

e) NIHE Nelspruit

The following formed part of the key observations:

· It emerged that the future of NIHE was not clearly articulated by the Department in relation to the establishment of the new University of Mpumalanga. NIHE fully supported the envisaged establishment of the new university. However, the conceptualisation of the mandate and role of the new university versus the current existing higher education programmes coordinated by NIHE was not articulated. The term of the board of NIHE would expire at the end of the year and board members were uncertain of their future role at NIHE.

· NIHE was commended for its good governance and management of the Siyabuswa Campus refurbishment project that was completed within five months.

· It emerged that the 2014 student cohort that would be admitted at the Siyabuswa Campus would form part of the new university and the Department of Basic Education allocated 142 Funza Lushaka bursaries for the new university.

6. Summary

It could be argued that higher education institutions faced similar challenges which included shortage of student accommodation, infrastructure backlog, inadequate NSFAS bursary allocation to meet the demand of financial assistance and high student debt. With regards to universities in Limpopo, the Committee observed animosity in the relationship that existed between management and unions based on unresolved labour disputes which required a labour management forum to resolve. It was good to note that both universities in the province had functional Councils and other governance structures of the universities. It was also noted that the research outputs of both the universities had increased though there were still some challenges with completion rate of post-graduate students owing to inadequate supervision. The pass and graduation rates in both institutions were in line with the national average and that was commendable.

Withholding of students results as a debt recovery method was a serious concern for the Committee which advised the universities to devise another strategy to recoup debt owed by students. The main challenges of the University of Venda which required further engagement were the conversion process to be a comprehensive university and funding for the infrastructure projects estimated to be close to R2 billion. The unbundling process of the University of Limpopo was fully supported by the stakeholders of the university and their request was additional funding to ensure smooth running of this process.

The Committee’s strategic sessions with FET colleges in Limpopo and Mpumalanga was the first of its kind with these institutions and highly appreciated by them. The outcomes of these strategic sessions provided an insight to the serious challenges that were affecting the growth and development of FET colleges as credible institutions of learning for young people of this country. The sessions also provided an opportunity for Colleges to draw good practices from those that were doing well despite the challenges they faced. The FET colleges in Limpopo had common challenges which included; absence or existence of de facto Councils, vacant Deputy Principals posts, shortage of student accommodation, poor NC( V) certification rates and late payment of NSFAS travel and accommodation allowance. The FET colleges in Mpumalanga were relatively doing well in terms of governance, administration and NC( V) pass rates. Shortage of student housing, workload of the NC( V) programme, outstanding certificates and pending results were the main concerns raised by FET colleges in Mpumalanga. The future of NIHE in relation to the establishment of the new University of Mpumalanga remained a serious concern for the institute, other than that; the institute was under good governance and leadership.

7. Resolutions

The Committee made the following resolutions during its interactions with various higher education and training institutions:

· The SRC and Unions of Waterberg FET college that did not participate in the strategic session of the Committee should meet with the Committee at a later date to be confirmed.

· The University of Venda Council should send a detailed presentation to the Committee on allegations of irregularities in the procurement of tenders for maintenance and other services.

· The Department’s examination moderation unit for FET colleges should make a presentation to the Committee on irregularities in the examination process.

· The Department should brief the Committee on the future roles of NIHE with the establishment of two new universities in Mpumalanga and Northern Cape.

8. 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 implemented, and to provide a feedback within a period of three months after adoption of this report by the House.

a) University of Venda

· The Minister should make funding available for infrastructure development and staff costs for the conversion to comprehensive university.

· Both the Minister of Higher Education and Training and Science and Technology should review the process of allocating resources to universities especially research chairs. A concern was raised about some institutions having more than 30 research chairs while others have one.

b) Appointment of Councils

· The Minister should prioritise the appointment of new Councils for all FET colleges in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In Limpopo, colleges operated with de facto Councils and some did not have Councils at all.

· The term of office of the Councils in Mpumalanga is coming to an end at the end of November 2013. The Minister should start the process of appointing the new Councils to avoid similar case of Limpopo Colleges.

c) Staffing

· The Minister should rectify irregularity in Deputy-Principals posts levels and ensure that all Deputy-Principals of all the Colleges are appointed at the same level. Furthermore, the Minister should ensure that all the 14 vacancies of Deputy-Principals in Limpopo are filled within a reasonable time.

· All the Colleges experienced high turn-over of engineering lecturers to the industry due to uncompetitive remuneration packages. The Minister should urgently develop and implement a retention strategy for scarce skills lecturers especially for engineering lecturers.

· Colleges were sitting with unfilled vacancies because there was a moratorium on permanent appointment of lecturers until the migration process of College staff from provincial competence to national was completed. Potential persons were not willing to be appointed on contract terms. The Minister should consider making exceptions of lifting the moratorium on permanent lecturers in critical areas like engineering.

· Due to shortage of staff, lecturers were forced to teach in both NC( V) and Report 191 programmes and did a lot of administrative work which reduced contact time with students. The Minister should consider making funding available for Colleges to appoint required support staff to relieve lecturers of administrative work.

· Students were left without lecturers during marking sessions because lecturers were used to mark examination scripts. The Minister should ensure that contact time for students is not compromised during marking sessions.

d) Curriculum Review

· Unfunded mandate of Report 191 and NC( V) curriculum review: Curriculum review was funded through donors and the funds were depleted which stalled continuation of curriculum review. The Minister should submit a funding bid to the National Treasury for funding curriculum review.

· The Minister should ensure that curriculum for the NC( V) and Report 191 is reviewed to address the current overlaps.

· The Minister should review the placement tests which were reported that they do not accurately measure the academic competence of students.

e) Infrastructure

· Infrastructure at all Colleges in Limpopo was inadequate for the growing enrolment numbers which affected quality teaching and learning. The Colleges in Limpopo noted that they did not benefit from the R2.5 billion announced by the President in 2012 for expansion and renovations of FET College infrastructure. The Minister should ensure that funding is made available for infrastructure development at the Colleges. Furthermore, the Minister should ensure that resources are equitably distributed across the Colleges.

· Funding Norms for Colleges: Report 191 programmes were not funded comparable to NC( V). Colleges that enrolled more Report 191 students received inadequate budget while those enrolling more NC( V) students received a more generous budget. The Minister should review the current funding norms for FET Colleges to ensure that Colleges that are located within the industry where Report 191 qualifications are in demand are not disadvantaged.

· Funding of Colleges to cater for students with disabilities in terms of infrastructure and general academic support should be made available.

· The Department should allocate additional funding for new student residence development and refurbishment owing to severe shortage of student accommodation in higher education and training institutions in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

f) Outstanding certificates

· Delay in the release of students’ certificate: Students who completed their qualifications at Colleges did not get their certificates on time owing to the delay by the Department. This puts students who secured employment at risk as the employers threatened to terminate their employment contracts because of non-submission of certificates. While acknowledging the progress made in releasing the certificates, the Departments should prioritise this matter.

· The promotion of students before the release of results should be urgently attended to.

· The IT system should be aligned to ensure that credits of exempted subjects (English and Mathematics) appear on the statement of results.

g) Examination

· The Minister should consider introducing legislation that would – deem illegal or a criminal offence to sell examination papers. This legislation should be accompanied by sanctions which would deter would be culprits from engaging in such practices.

· The Department should review its distribution process of examination papers to prevent further leakages in the future.

· Engagement with private colleges should be prioritised since they were linked with the allegations of paper leakages.

· Delay in sending errata on examination papers: Colleges received examination errata in the morning and in some instances the errata arrived when the students had already finished writing the examination. The Minister should ensure that there is a swift communication from the Department to the Colleges in regard to errata on examination papers. Furthermore, the Minister should ensure that there is a proper moderation of examination papers.

h) Financial assistance

· Uncertainties around the new NSFAS central application system: The Colleges were not yet informed about their role in the in this process. The Minister should ensure that NSFAS communicate with institutions to clarify roles in regard to the new application system.

· Mopani South East FET College exhausted its bursary allocation in the first semester and the Report 191 students who were due to register for the third trimester would be without financial aid. The Minister should intervene in this case to ensure that students who were to benefit from the financial aid are not disadvantaged.

· The Minister should intervene at all FET colleges where NSFAS beneficiaries were forced to pay non-refundable registration fee.

· The allocation of NSFAS bursary was inadequate to meet the demand in the higher education institutions and FET colleges in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The Department should allocate additional funding to these institutions to address this challenge. Furthermore, the Minister should assist the University of Limpopo with additional funding for NSFAS as all students who qualified for financial assistance in the current financial year received R26 000 due to top-slicing which will result in outstanding debt and withholding of certificates after completion.

i) Placement of students

· Placement of students for work integrated learning at some colleges was still a challenge. The Minister together with the SETAs should assist with placement of students in rural Colleges to secure placement.

j) Vhembe FET College

· The Minister should urgently intervene in Vhembe FET College to ensure that there is a good working relationship between management, students and unions.

· The Minister should prioritise the appointment of the College Principal.

k) Articulation of FET students to universities

· Though the Department reported that a communiqué was sent to all universities to also consider NC( V) as a requirement for admission, it seemed that students from the colleges are still marginalised. The University of Venda reported that it used RPL to admit students from FET colleges for certain programmes while the University of Limpopo did not even consider them. The NC( V) was not treated at par with Matric certificates for admission purposes. There is a need to seriously engage universities on articulation of FET students as the current piece meal strategies of communiqués and memorandum of agreement between individual universities and colleges is not helping as these MOUs continues to exclude students from colleges which are not in the agreement.

l) Future of NIHE

· The Department should clarify the future role of NIHE in the establishment of the University of Mpumalanga

Report to be considered.