Madam Chair, hon Minister, Deputy Minister and members, taking the vision of the government's National Development Plan on improving education, training and innovation as a guiding instrument for today's debate, I would like to draw your attention to the following aspects.
The NDP suggests an education system that strives to improve the quality of education for the majority of learners. By 2030 South Africa needs an education system with the following attributes: Further and higher education and training that enable people to fulfil their potential; a graduation rate that has increased to 75%; the production of 30 000 artisans per year; participation rates that increased to 25% and created an additional 1 million learning opportunities per year; and an expanding higher-education sector able to contribute towards rising incomes, higher productivity and a shift to a more knowledge-intensive economy.
Building on what works in international education and also on ongoing policy research in South Africa aimed at helping to improve the national education system, what is revealed is that improving learner success and through-put in secondary schools is one of South Africa's most challenging priorities.
Most South African learners successfully complete grade 9 and look to the National Senior Certificate as a form of access to higher education. Unfortunately, the reality is quite different. Many learners will repeat the senior grades, while others will drop out between grades 10, 11 and 12. A recent study found that nearly 1 million young South Africans aged 18 to 24 who had completed at least grade 10 or its equivalent did not complete their grade 12 schooling, were unemployed and not studying. One can assume that they would cope better in vocational educational systems relevant to South Africa's needs.
In the light of South Africa's critical need for especially technical and artisan skills, what then needs to be done to strengthen vocational educational systems in South Africa - where school-leavers are exposed to engineering, technological, electrical, building-related, agricultural and other occupations but need further postschool training before they can enter the labour market?
Research indicates that the country should give further attention to the development of a policy framework for making vocationally orientated education - through specialist focus schools or further education and training institutions - a much more attractive option within a system of diversified education.
Drawing on international best practice, it is possible to identify some of the key factors for successful vocational education. Successful countries have distinct and connecting aims for general and vocational education. These clarify the different and connecting pathways for learners via these different education programmes.
Successful countries have a high degree of collaboration between government and industry at the planning stages. They also require different but involved government departments to help each other, in both policy development and the design and delivery of educational programmes.
Qualifications awarded through vocational education and other qualifications have a clear exchange rate. These arrangements are normally supported by agreed criteria and well-functioning, effective information systems.
Good vocationally orientated education curricula have been developed through education and industry partnerships. Effective partnerships combine the general mix of knowledge and skills, drawing on general education as well as vocationally orientated education.
The international experience is clear: effective vocationally orientated education relies on high-quality educators, which has been mentioned today. The system also ensures that such teachers have adequate knowledge of the workplace and its demands. More successful results follow where there is a range of appropriate measures to help learners and their parents make informed choices about future educational options at the end of their period of basic education.
In order to achieve these proposals, the following would also have to be implemented: Funds should be allocated from Setas to support and enhance identified focus schools and training institutions. The rigid boundaries between school-based vocationally orientated education and national education offered by FET colleges should be more flexible. Partnerships between training institutions and industry should be encouraged. This will allow vocationally orientated education to be supplemented with practical experience in appropriate companies.
Currently, in South Africa the Seta co-ordination and Seta support monitor and report on the implementation of the National Skills Development strategy at sectoral level and are responsible for an effective skills development system. However, the system is currently dysfunctional and failing the learners. I received numerous complains from service providers and students about problems they encounter in the administration of their respective Setas. To illustrate this frustration, I quote from a letter that illustrates the problems:
The electrical construction industry previously fell under the auspices of the Energy Sector Education and Training, ESeta, now called Energy Water Sector Education Training Authority, EWSeta. On 1 April 2011, our industry was moved across to the construction Seta, Ceta, which, like the EWSeta, is under administration and hence little if anything is done by them. One of their duties is to issue trade-test certificates to successful candidates.
Since April last year, we had, as an accredited trade-test centre, 49 candidates who successfully passed their industry trade test. Despite all the requirements being provided to Ceta, not a single trade-test certificate has been issued by the Ceta. This certificate is required by employers when offering employment and without it candidates loose out. The certificate is also one of the requirements for a candidate to obtain the installation electrician licence, so here too candidates are being hamstrung from qualifying.
A further worrying issue has now arisen. Our accreditation as a training centre by the EWSeta expired on 25 February 2012. Despite all efforts by us to have our training facilities re-accredited by Ceta, nothing has happened. We are now faced with having to stop trade-testing and possibly stop all training. This situation is not unique to ourselves as we are aware of several training facilities that have also ceased training due to their expired accreditation. No positive reaction is coming from the Ceta, not even after a visit by the Minister.
In conclusion, the DA is sincerely concerned about what is happening. We cannot continue in this manner. We need an effective skills development system that can produce the required number of trained artisans so desperately needed by our country to promote economic growth and employment opportunities, of which we are in dire need. [Applause.]