Staff Reporter
The National Plan for Post-School Education and Training (NPPSET) is a roadmap for implementing the vision of the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training (WP-PSET).
Speaking during the launch last Thursday, Minster of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, said it was framed within the broader goals and priorities of the National Development Plan (NDP), which foregrounds the national efforts to address the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality, and poverty.
“It is an overarching instrument and a blueprint for guiding planning in our PSET sector. It aligns and integrates the work that is already underway and provides a policy framework for major transformative changes the Government wants to bring about across the PSET system and its nexus with society and the economy,” Nzimande said.
The National Plan for Post School Education and Training has six goals which are the drivers for the system.
The drivers seek to achieve the following:
- An integrated, coordinated and articulated PSET system;
- Expanded access to PSET opportunities;
- A responsive PSET system, with appropriate size and shape;
- Improved relations between education and training institutions and
the world of work;
- Improved quality of PSET provision; and
- Improved efficiency and success of the PSET system
While the plan is already in implementation, it was formally introduced to the entire sector and the public on 7 September.
“Our launch of the Plan showcases the government’s continuous effort towards achieving an improved, transformed, expanded, responsive and articulated Post-School Education and Training (PSET),” Nzimande said.
The Department of Higher Education and Training has the single largest number of entities of all the national government departments, with over 110 departments making South Africa’s PSET sector one of the biggest in Africa.
When the Sixth Administration took over in 2019, Nzimande said spending on education as a proportion of overall government expenditure was 22.7% in 2019/20 and 7.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), far exceeding the benchmarks set by UNESCO, which recommends allocating 15-20% of public spending to education and 4-6% of GDP to education.
“As we draw closer to the end of the Administration, this trajectory is continuing,” he said.
In 2021/22 he added that spending on education as a proportion of overall government expenditure was 22.6% and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 6.4% which continues to exceed the UNESCO benchmarks.
“This shows that the South African government continues to spend a large share of its national budget on education (both schooling and post-schooling). Our main challenge is to maximise the impact of this progressive educational investment,” Nzimande added.
In the quest to expand access to PSET opportunities various funding streams which include the National Skills Fund (NSF), the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), the National Research Foundation (NRF), the National Institute for Human and Social Sciences (NIHSS), Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and the International Scholarships Programme have been introduced.
On student funding the Minister said he will be submitting a clear proposal on a Comprehensive Student Funding Policy to Cabinet before the end of the year. This follows extensive consultations with financial institutions, student organizations, university and TVET College leaders, and international benchmarking.
“Through this we aim to introduce measures to specifically support categories of students in the so-called ‘missing middle’ income groups who are unable to access NSFAS funding.”
When NSFAS began in 1991, it had a budget of R21.4 million for the first cohort of about 7000 students. “We are proud to say that NSFAS is currently funding 1.1 million students with a budget allocation of R47,6 billion in the 2023 academic year,” Nzimande said.
Of this amount, universities have been allocated R38.6 billion and TVET Colleges R8.9 billion for the first time passing the one million mark. In 2023, SASSA beneficiaries account for 49% of the funded students in 2023.
“As we release the Plan today, I am confident that it will take the confidence of the people of South Africa in the country’s post-schooling system to the next level,” he said.
INSIDE EDUCATION
