Madam Deputy Speaker, South Africa faces a critical shortage of social workers. In light of this, the prospect of the Huguenot College in Wellington being closed is too terrible to even contemplate. This college produces 90 well-trained social workers and community development workers every year. It has received applications from 600 prospective students for enrolment in 2011.
This private college relies on partnerships with public higher learning institutions, but these partnerships have fallen foul of the Higher Education Act. I recently visited the college to see first-hand the excellent work that it does in training students to perform social work. I received a petition from the students, outlining the plight of the college and containing an urgent appeal to Minister Nzimande to intervene to keep the doors of the college open. This petition will be given to the Minister.
I am pleased that, in the interim, the Department of Higher Education and Training has indicated that it is prepared to respond to the DA's urgent appeal to prevent the college from closing, and that the Minister realises that South Africa can ill afford to have even fewer qualified social workers. I will be following the Minister's efforts closely to ensure that the commitments of the department are indeed carried out. Thank you. [Applause.]