Mohlomphegi Modulasetulo, Tona ya rena ya Lefapha la Thuto ya Godimo le Thlahlo, le Mme Motshekga wa Lefapha la Thuto ya Motheo, ke a le dumedi?a mathapameng a lehono. [Good afternoon hon Chairperson, hon Minister of Higher Education and Training, and hon Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Motshekga.]
The ANC has all along, since its formation, been a champion of change. That is why today the ANC-led government is one of the pillars of the national democratic revolution, with the mandate to concretise and implement ANC policies. Implementation of these policies hinges on the equitable distribution of resources according to the priority areas of the ANC. Education is now the Apex Priority of our government because of the realisation that education is a useful instrument in the fight against poverty and inequality, and indispensable in the reversal of past social and economic imbalances.
In his foreword on the strategic plan of the department, the Minister of the Department of Higher Education and Training, hon Nzimande, said, and I quote:
Never before in the history of our democracy have we been better positioned to advance the vision of a truly comprehensive and differentiated postschool system, which is capable of contributing to the lives of individuals, to the economy and to broader society.
He went on to say:
The establishment of the Ministry of Higher Education and Training will result in far-reaching changes to improve the provision of postschool opportunities, especially for the youth, but also for adults.
The further education and training subsystem has grown and changed over the last 15 years. And further changes are anticipated over the medium term, most notably the transfer of responsibilities of the colleges from provinces to the national sphere of government.
As the Select Committee on Education, we are happy to welcome the decision of the department to administer conditional grants towards promoting scarce skills and producing the artisans, plumbers, engineers and electricians that the economy needs for its development.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS, has not been adequately assisting poor students in universities in achieving their desired educational needs. That is because of the poor administrative capacity. We are saying, in order for the NSFAS to carry out its mandate adequately, the following must be attended to: First, its strengths and weaknesses need to be assessed; second, needs analyses of students who will require financial aid in the short, medium and long term need to be conducted, taking into account the government's commitment; third, changes to the governance, management, operational capacity and systems of the NSFAS should meet the needs of the new policy framework; and fourth, the feasibility of student financial aid being linked to priority fields of study and levels of academic performance must also be investigated.
The sector education and training authorities, Setas, are facing many challenges in their efforts to implement their programmes. These include the following: first, the need to align themselves with emerging industrial strategies; second, poor research underpinning sectoral skills plans and, finally, the role of government departments in Setas.
In conclusion, working together, we can do more. As the Select Committee on Education, we support this Budget Vote.
Set?haba seo se sa rutegago, ke set?haba se se timet?ego. Thuto ke kotse ya bophelo. Ke a leboga. [Legoswi.] [Education is the basic foundation of nation-building - it is the key to success. Thank you. [Applause.]]