NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 1268
DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2009 [IQP No 16 -2009]
FIRST SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT
Question 1268 for Written Reply, National Assembly: P J C Pretorius (DA) to
ask the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
(1) (a) Which training institutions offer diploma and/or degree courses
in forestry and forestry-related fields, (b) what courses are offered by
each institution and (c) how many students successfully completed each
course at each of these institutions in each of the past two years for
which information is available;
(2) Whether the number of students that qualify annually is sufficient to
meet the countryâs forestry needs; if not, why not; if so, what are the
relevant details;
(3) Whether the quality and content of training offered by each
institution is monitored by her department to ensure that they meet the
needs of the industry; if not, why not; if so, how is the monitoring done?
NW1613E
REPLY:
(1)(a) There are seven institutions, listed below, that offer forestry and
forestry related courses:
⪠Stellenbosch University
⪠Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (Saasveld campus)
⪠University of KwaZulu-Natal
⪠University of Venda
⪠Fort Cox College
⪠University of Pretoria
⪠Tshwane University of Technology
(b) The following courses are offered by the various institutions:
Stellenbosch University:
⢠A Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree programme in Forest and
Wood Science and related fields.
⢠Bachelor of Science (BSc), Master of Science (MSc) and
Doctorate (PhD) degree programmes in Forestry and Natural
Resource Sciences.Â
⢠For the BSc programme this is divided into two fields of
study i.e.:
i. Forest and Natural Resource Management (4 year
programme)
ii. Wood Products Science (a 4 year programme)
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University:
⢠A Diploma and Bachelor of Technology (BTech) and Master of
Technology (MTech) degrees in Forestry.
⢠Forestry & Wood Technology
University of KwaZulu-Natal:
⢠A 4 year BSc degree in Agriculture (Forestry), MSc and PhD
⢠Commercial Forestry
⢠Community Forestry (Agro-forestry)
University of Venda:
⢠A BSc degree in Forestry
University of Pretoria:
⢠Postgraduate Degrees in Forestry
Fort Cox College
⢠Diploma in Social Forestry
Tshwane University of Technology
⢠National Diploma in Pulp and Paper
c) The Department signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with two
institutions, namely the University and Stellenbosch and the Nelson
Mandela Metropolitan University and through these agreements we
monitor the number of students.
⢠At the Stellenbosch University, in 2007 there were 3
Undergraduates and 12 Postgraduates and in 2008 there were
9 Undergraduates and 5 Postgraduates.
⢠At the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, in the past
two years the university has recorded 35 Diplomas per year,
approximately 20 BTech Degrees per year and on average 2
MTech Degrees per year.
(2) No, the main challenge is that only the University of
Stellenbosch and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University produce
students that have the qualifications required by the sector. Some of
the institutions still need to improve their curriculum to suit the
needs of the sector / country. This is why the Department has engaged
in a Raising the Profile of Forestry Programme, which includes the
Youth Advancement Programme where the youth from the primary to the
tertiary levels, as well as the unemployed, are encouraged to
participate in competitions that are aimed at encouraging them to
choose a career in forestry.
(3) Yes, the Department monitors the quality and content of the
courses offered by the institutions with which it has signed MoUs, as
stated above. The Department has a Forestry Capacity Building Unit
that works closely with the Forestry Industry Education and Training
Authority (FIETA) to ensure that it is involved in new developments,
and that institutions adapt to address the skills needs, in the
sector. The sector, through the Department and FIETA, has established
a Sector Skills Development Forum to evaluate progress annually. The
Forum has met once since its establishment and will meet again later
this year. All the institutions are members of this forum and actively
participate.