Minister, I dedicate this speech to one of our comrades, Chris Hani, a servant of the people of the world and a true communist to the end. Bra Chris fought for people's education and for people's power. Today, what he fought for for many years still remains a pipe dream.
Minister, your speech might be worded nicely but we have to account for the past years. It is a shame that after 17 years the department has failed Hani's vision of the creation of true universities of the people - institutions that would be at the forefront of changing the lives of the poor and the marginalised. We still have the untouchable institutions. For the past 17 years this government has failed to build new universities that would articulate the views of a new South Africa and the liberation of all our people. [Interjections.]
When the Afrikaner government took power, they built Afrikaner universities to articulate their philosophy and ideology - institutions like the former Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit, RAU, University of the Free State, UOFS, University of Stellenbosch and Tuks. What can we be proud of in higher education under your leadership? The department has once more failed Chris's dream of a people's university for people's power; a Moses Mabhida, Govan Mbeki, Bram Fischer type of university.
It is Cope's wish that the proposed two new universities will not be like all the failed government departments or institutions - to be used to dispatch patronage and corruption - but successful institutions of choice for our students. Let's build two new universities to emulate the values of Moses Kotana, Robert Sobukwe and Beyers Naud, excelling in research and the green economy. [Interjections.]
Hani's children still await a free and compulsory education, as your government promised. Financial constraints are barriers to access to tertiary education. We are told that the decline in state funding is a global phenomenon. What is the government doing to mitigate this global phenomenon? Brazil is planning to take a quantum leap and award 75 000 scholarships to students to study abroad. China alone had 127 000 and India 100 000. What do we, as South Africa, have abroad?
We agree, however, with your department's notion of building the next generation of academics as an urgent need in our country. However, we must make an assessment of the role of the old generation of academics and of the current generation of academics and then define what the next generation of academics should constitute. We must build and lay a foundation that will attract our students to enter academia.
We can't build a winning nation without a properly prepared academia of the people; one that would serve constructively to both develop and answer difficult questions for the nation. We must build an academia of the type of former President Thabo Mbeki's generation of academics. [Interjections.]
We hear and read a lot about the possible role of FET colleges in developing skills. We also heard President Zuma making an announcement of R2,5 billion. Minister, our question is: Of what quality is this FET education? We know the Minister continues to redirect our kids but our question is: How many students from FETs are employed in the departments of your government? Our students will never have confidence in FET education as long as all these government departments do not employ students from FET colleges. The curricula vitae of poor students are put aside by the very same department and your office. [Interjections.]
Minister, Cope believes that things are terrible in the Sector Education and Training Authorities. People are at odds with Setas and their management, accusing them of not giving the government value for money. [Interjections.] On the other hand, Minister, you are being threatened with law suits for failing to address serious training problems, especially in the electricity sector. We want you to account for performance in the Seta arena.
Furthermore, Minister, you are always claiming that our students are not living in a conducive environment. You have failed for 17 years to respond to the call of the student movements to build better accommodation for our students. [Interjections.] Walter Sisulu and Fort Hare universities continue to co-accommodate people in unhygienic conditions. Your government has failed for 17 years to provide the solution. [Interjections.] You are giving us only a report in that regard. [Interjections.]
You are continually announcing in this House that you are moving towards a central registration point. Does your government or your department have capacity to run a central administration point? Minister, is what you are trying to do not going to tamper with the independence of these institutions? [Interjections.]
As Cope, we are calling on you to give us a better budget. Cope might accept your budget but we think ... [Interjections.]