1. The Committees note that the Department of Education is to be split into two new Departments i.e. (a) Basic Education and (b) Higher Education and Training. However, the Committees were advised that pending the division, the current budget would be processed as a single vote until the necessary legal changes are effected later in the year. Accordingly, the two Portfolio Committees used the opportunity to sit jointly to process the budget hearings at which both the Department of Education and certain statutory bodies appeared. The statutory bodies that formed part of the budget briefings included: o Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (UMALUSI) o National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) o South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) o Council on Higher Education (CHE)