The Education White Paper 4 -A Programme for the Transformation of Further Education and Training

The Education White Paper 4 - A Programme for the Transformation of Further Education and Training
Preparing for the Twenty-First Century Through Education, Training and Work

Government Gazette Vol. 399, NO. 1 9281, 25 September 1998
General Notice
Notice 2188 of 1998
Ministry of Education

I am delighted to release Education White Paper 4 - programme for the transformation of Further Education and Training. Its release is the culmination of wide-ranging and extensive processes of investigation and consultation that was initiated with the establishment of the ministerial National Committee on Further Education and Training on 18 September 1996, and the subsequent release of the Green Paper on Further Education and Training on 15 April 1998.

The consultative process has resulted in wide consensus about the policy framework outlined in this White Paper and has ensured that it commands the support of all the key stakeholders in Further Education and Training (FET). It has also laid the foundation for all of us to embark jointly on the long, complex, yet urgent and exciting journey towards the establishment of a new FET system, which is responsive to the needs of slur people, efficient and effective, and accountable to its clients and stakeholders.

FET will include learning programmes that will be registered on the National Qualifications Framework from levels 2 to 4 and that will correspond with the present (grades 10 to 12 in the school system and N1 to N3 in the technical college system. When fully developed, the new FET system will provide access to high quality education and training within a differentiated system that will offer a wider range of learning options to a diverse range of learners, including school-going young people.

Out of school youth, young adults and the larger adult population. A successful FET system Novell provide diversified programmes offering knowledge, skills, attitudes and values South Africans require as individuals and citizens, as lifelong learners and as economically productive members of society. It will provide the vital intermediate to higher-level skills and competence`, our country needs to chart its own course in the global competitive world of the 21st century.

This White Paper, and the White Paper on Higher Education, are the companion strategies of the Skills Development Strategy of the Ministry of Labour, all three of which are central features of our national Human Resource Development Strategy. Accordingly, this White Paper provides for close collaboration with the Ministry of Labour in sharing labour market information, providing career guidance through market training needs, building links between training and job placement, and sharing information on tracer studies of graduates.

I have no illusion that the journey outlined in this White Paper will be easy. However, as I have said on many occasions before, I am confident that if we collectively commit ourselves to completing it in the spirit of the consensus and momentum that has been achieved already, we will reach our destination, namely an FET system that will contribute to a better life for all.

1.1 In the White Paper on Education and Training, March 1995, the Ministry of Education took the view that Further Education and Training (FET) lies at the heart of the integration of our education and training system. In it, the Ministry expressed the desire for FET to be planned and co-ordinated as a comprehensive, interlocking sector that provides meaningful educational experiences to learners at the post-compulsory phase.

1.2 Since the FET system is currently fragmented and lacks co-ordination, and because of its importance to the social, economic and human resource development needs of the country, the Minister appointed a National Committee on Further Education and Training (NCFE) to research and consult on the establishment of a new, co-ordinated FET system. The NCFE was appointed in October 1996 with the purpose of recommending a vision and goals for FET, with the emphasis on widening participation, improving quality provision and promoting lifelong learning within the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), as established by the South African Qualifications Authority Act, 1995 (Act No. 58 of 1995).

1.3 The brief of the NCFE was to advise the Minister on all aspects of the band of education and training prior to entry to Higher Education (HE), including curriculum related matters, a funding model for FET, an appropriate governance model and career guidance and counselling services. After extensive research and consultation with key stakeholders in education and training, the NCFE presented its report to the Minister of Education in August 1997.

1.4 This report of the NCFE, A Framework for the Transformation of Further Education and Training in South Africa, formed the basis for the Green Paper on Further Education and Training, Preparing for the Twenty-first Century through Education, Training and Work, which was released by the Ministry in April 1998. The vision, policy proposals and specific intervention strategies for building a new FET system proposed in the Green Paper have been broadly endorsed.

1.5 More than 130 written submissions by individuals, organisations and institutions were received. In addition, contributions from provincial workshops conducted collaboratively by the Department of Education and provincial departments of education have provided valuable comments and suggestions. Recommendations were made and advice offered on almost every chapter and section of the Green Paper. The Ministry was advised to correct the following aspects of the Green Paper:

1.6 A large number of submissions focused on matters relating to the implementation of the policy proposals. Proposals of this kind will be considered during the discussion of the implementation of the White Paper for Further Education and Training.

1.7 This White Paper is, therefore, a culmination of extensive research and consultation with key stakeholders in the education and training sector. In writing it, the Ministry has taken all submissions made into account.

1.8 The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996), states in section 29(1) that: "Every one has the right:

Pursuant to this constitutional obligation, this White Paper provides a vision and policy framework for a nationally co-ordinated system of FET.

1.9 In the next chapter, we elaborate further on what FET is, its significance to human resource development and the linkages between the FET policy framework and plans and the Skills Development Strategy of the Ministry of Labour.

2.1 Our concept of FET is broad and inclusive. It is designed to promote the integration of education and training, and to enhance learner mobility and progression, which are at the heart of the NQF.

2.2 FET includes learning programmes that will be registered on the NQF from levels 2 to 4, and that will correspond with the present Grades 10 to 12 in the school system and N1 to N3 in the technical college system.

2.3 When fully developed, the new FET system will provide access to high-quality education and training within a differentiated system, which will offer a wider range of learning options to a diverse range of learners, including school-going young people, out-of-school youth, young adults and the larger adult population.

2.4 The FET system constitutes a large, diverse and critically important part of the education and training system, with nearly 8 000 providers, excluding private companies, and almost 3 million learners. FET accounts, conservatively, for a national investment of public and private funds of over R10 billion annually.

2.5 Apart from the sheer scale and complexity of the FET system, its importance stems from the fact that learners are situated at the cross-roads between General Education and Training (GET) and entry to HE and the world of work. FET is an important allocator of life chances. As such, it provides both initial and second-chance opportunities to young people and adults.

2.6 A successful FET system will provide diversified programmes offering knowledge, skills, attitudes and values South Africans require as individuals and citizens, as lifelong learners and as economically productive members of society. It will provide the vital intermediate to higher-level skills and competencies the country needs to chart its own course in the global competitive world of the 21st century.

2.7 Accordingly, the purpose and mission of FET are to respond to the human resource needs of our country for personal, social, civic and economic development. A transformed, high-quality, responsive FET system is a vitally important investment in the future of our country and all our people.

2.8 Investing in our youth means investing in our future. The Ministry recognises that the inherited poor quality, the lack of relevance of much of schooling and the collapse of the youth labour market are critical social, economic and educational problems facing our young democracy. Over 2 million of nearly 3 million FET learners are to be found in the secondary school system. A further 2 million 16 - 27-year-olds have completed nine or more years of schooling, but lack employment or meaningful opportunities to improve their knowledge, skills and qualifications. The scale and complexity of the problem become greater when seen in the light of the National Youth Policy determined by the National Youth Commission, which addresses young people aged 14-35. Many are at risk of being permanently unemployed and forced to eke out a living on the margins of society. Our FET policy must directly address the transformation of the senior secondary school system, the present technical colleges and community colleges, and the development of new, meaningful education and training opportunities for young people outside formal education. The widening of participation in FET must also include working adults and those of our people experiencing long-term unemployment.

2.9 The Ministry has identified a number of short-term and medium-term interventions to improve the quality and relevance of provision in Grades 10 through 12, to strengthen the linkages between schools, other FET providers and the world of work, and to broaden the range of opportunities available to young people about to join the labour market. In order to address the needs of the large numbers of young people who will exit FET before its transformation has been completed, the Ministry will give greater priority to existing 'rehabilitation' and 'second-chance' initiatives, such as the National Youth Colleges Programme and the Students and Youth into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (SYSTEM), and to academic development, job-entry and skills development programmes. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour are also co-operating in the development and piloting of learnerships and other education and training opportunities available to out-of-school youth. The Ministry of Education will, furthermore, support initiatives that are aimed at enhancing the relevance of FET programmes to work and self-employment, especially where these can be linked to government, private sector and NGO development initiatives.

2.10 The range of programmes offered in schools must be broadened. However, many young people would value the opportunity to pursue their post-compulsory education, not in school, but in an FET institution in which it would be possible to study with other young people of their own age and with older youth and adults. For many young people, the flexibility, programme diversity, facilities and support services that a revitalised FET institution with an open learning environment could offer, are likely to be greatly preferable to secondary school environments, especially for those learners faced with repeating a year of full time study. The Ministry is committed therefore to the development and expansion of high-quality, flexible, innovative FET institutions, based on the principles of open learning and responsiveness to the needs and demands of all post- 15 learners.

2.11 Urgent attention will be given to the mobilisation and satisfaction of expectations among out-of-school and unemployed youth, as defined in the National Youth Policy. Drawing on a wide range of information and advice, the Ministry will set national learning targets and invite the private sector, labour sector, donors and communities to join in an education and training campaign to encourage young people to return to learning. In a country where the majority have been let down by the education and training system, and excluded from the social and economic mainstream, the opportunity of returning to lifelong learning does not have automatic appeal. In those communities where education and training have become discredited, a conscious and determined effort will be needed to bring people back into the learning community and to ensure that learning programmes are responsive to their needs.

2.12 The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour have a joint responsibility for providing education and training pathways for young people and adult workers, and for developing more effective linkages between training and work. The introduction of learnerships in FET institutions is an important development. For this purpose, FET institutions will be advised on how to access programme funding through the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and the National Skills Fund.

2.13 As the programme outlined here is progressively implemented, the ideal of a co-ordinated, increasingly integrated FET system will move closer to becoming a reality. Within the enabling environment of the NQF, young people and adults will be able to access an increasing variety of education and training opportunities. Open learning approaches and a system increasingly orientated towards lifelong learning and responsiveness to the needs of learners and communities, will widen participation, promote equity and social mobility, and improve the quality of life of our people.

2.14 The education and training sectors and the employment system are linked in many ways.

2.15 In the market for education and skills, the Ministry of Labour operates mainly on the demand side, while the Ministry of Education operates mainly on the supply side. The Skills Development Strategy of the Ministry of Labour provides a framework for determining the training needs in the labour market and the funding mechanisms for training. The FET policy framework provides, in the main, a strategy for suppliers of education and training to respond to the labour market needs as identified by private and public employers.

2.16 The external efficiency of the FET providers, which is measured by the rate at which FET graduates are appropriately employed or enter and succeed in HE, will be enhanced by the efficient flow of information from the labour market and institutional linkages between the education and training and employment systems.

2.17 The Skills Development Strategy of the Ministry of Labour and the new FET framework are complementary. To this end, the two Ministries must work in close collaboration in sharing labour market information, providing career guidance through advice about appropriate job paths, planning responses to labour market training needs, building links between training and job placement, and sharing information on tracer studies of graduates.

2.18 Human Resource Development (HRD) planning requires a strategy that is complementary across government departments. Each sector of Government has its own specific goals, but a dynamic inter-connected approach between various government departments responsible for different aspects of HRD is essential for effective delivery.

2.19 The Government has established an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Human Resource Development to co-ordinate education and training and to ensure an effective linkage between the country's economic and human resource development strategies. This Committee is led jointly by the Ministers of Education and Labour, and includes the Ministers of:

2.20 The Ministries of Education and Labour will play a leading role in informing and shaping the HRD Strategy. They will work together on:

3.1 Our policy is to establish a co-ordinated FET system, which integrates education and training. However, we have to recognise the substantial constraints and difficulties imposed by our history and by current arrangements. Across all levels and sectors of our education system, the social and economic divisions of the past remain strongly in evidence. Our country still lacks a coherent, integrated strategy for human resource development. Education and training policies still operate largely along separate tracks, despite the unifying influence of the NQF. Despite the existence of some excellent institutions and innovative programmes, FET provision today is characterised by fragmentation, poor co-ordination, inefficiency and inequality. In fact, it is difficult, in the present context, to talk at all of an FET system.

3.2 Unlike countries that have established a single Ministry for Education and Employment, or Education, Employment, Training and Youth, South Africa seeks to develop an integrated and co-ordinated system of education and training while labour market related training and career services remain under the Labour portfolio. The two Ministries have collaborated in the establishment of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), and have consulted on their respective FET and Skills Development Strategies. The co-ordination of policy has now been formalised in the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Human Resource Development. However, the fact that Education is a Schedule 4 function under our Constitution while Labour is not, creates significant policy and administrative complications, which must be managed creatively.

3.3 Education, other than HE, is a concurrent national and provincial competence. Control is therefore divided, in terms of our Constitution, between the Ministry of Education and the provincial education authorities. The Minister is exclusively responsible for HE and for determining, monitoring and supporting the implementation of national policy, norms and standards for all education. Provincial governments, on the other hand, hold executive responsibility for the budgets and delivery of all education other than HE. This separation can give rise to the problem of national goals, policies and norms and standards, which are determined by the national Government but not adequately funded by provincial budgets. It also defines the role of the Ministry in leading the restructuring and transformation of our education system.

3.4 The performance of schools and colleges in the FET band is generally poor. Programmes and curricula are in many cases overly academic, theoretical and out of touch with the needs of learners and the labour market.

3.5 High failure and repetition rates place a heavy burden on our limited financial resources and on our teachers and physical infrastructure. A culture of learning, teaching and service requires urgent development after years of conflict and struggle. Large tracts of the education and training system do not provide meaningful access to social and economic opportunities. Professional commitment and morale amongst many educators, administrators and managers are poor.

3.6 Across the board, there is a dearth of managerial skills and capacity. Financial management capacity, management information systems, quality assurance processes and other aspects of the management of programmes and institutions are still lacking or seriously deficient, both at the institutional level and in our departments of education.

3.7 Many of the challenges we face in building an integrated education and training system arise directly from the inequalities and distortions of our apartheid past. Others, however, are rooted in traditions and expectations that are common across the world. They reflect real differences in the mission, role and constituencies that different education and training sectors and institutions have historically served as modern industrial society has evolved.

3.8 Schools, in particular, serve a distinctive constituency and play a particular educational and socialising role with respect to young people. They provide a foundation of general education, as well as more specific knowledge and skills to pre-employed youth. They also tend to occupy a distinctive place in the minds of parents, young learners and educators, which reflect deep-rooted cultural roles. For these and other reasons, changes in schooling world-wide tend to be gradual and incremental.

3.9 Colleges, on the other hand, serve a population that is generally more diverse in terms of age, occupation and field of study, and are more likely to have direct linkages with industry and employers, and to play a direct role in meeting the vocational needs of the wider community. Important differences between colleges and schools in institutional culture and ethos, in governance, management and staffing, and in programmes and curricula, have developed and entrenched themselves over time.

3.10 Many schools have inadequate facilities and staff, and suffer problems of poor quality, inefficiency and ineffectiveness. Many FET colleges lack public recognition and acceptance, in part because of similar problems of poor quality and inefficiency, but also because public attitudes and beliefs tend to favour 'academic' rather than 'vocational' education.

3.11 The building of an integrated and co-ordinated FET system must take account of these realities, even while we seek to chancre them.

3.12 A key means of encouraging institutional responsiveness and flexibility, and of promoting creative and necessary changes and innovations, is to allow education institutions greater autonomy in the determination of their missions and the management of their affairs.

3.13 The Ministry has moved decisively in this direction by granting school governing bodies significant powers in terms of the South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996). The legislation that accompanies this White Paper will likewise grant substantial powers to colleges and other providers that are designated as FET institutions.

3.14 At the same time, our experience in implementing the South African Schools Act (SASA), and our awareness of the differing experiences and management capacities of colleges, make it clear that full institutional autonomy is not an event, the success of which can be assumed. Real autonomy ought to be the outcome of a developmental process. Some institutions will be able to move faster than others in this direction. The Ministry's approach will be grounded in a realistic appreciation of constraints and possibilities, while the capacity of the provincial departments of education and FET institutions is decisively enhanced to bring about sustainable systemic change.

3.15 No policy can account for all present and future possibilities. Policy in this sense is always incomplete and subject to revision. Before moving to a discussion of the strategies that we will adopt in order co move beyond the difficulties and constraints we have just outlined, we wish to indicate some of the policy issues that are not fully resolved in this White Paper.

3.16 The inclusion of schools in the new FET system raises a number of difficulties. One set of issues concerns the pace of change, especially the speed with which the Government is able to provide better opportunities for learners currently in senior secondary schools, as well as those who will enter the senior secondary phase in the next five years.

3.17 Schools must be encouraged and assisted to provide more meaningful and varied opportunities to young people to acquire useful and relevant knowledge and skills. The Ministry of Education considers that schools should be centres of creativity and innovation, and more firmly rooted in the lives of the communities that they serve. The introduction of outcomes-based education and the phasing in of a new curriculum are important steps in this direction, as are the establishment of school governing bodies and their development in terms the SASA. These changes will take time to mature. In the meanwhile, schools must be helped to address more effectively the needs of learners in the senior secondary phase and to inject a sense of urgency and purpose into the transformation of schooling. Ensuring that such strategies lead to main- stream change, and not just marginal change, presents a formidable challenge.

3.18 A second set of issues hinges on the suitability of applying programme-based funding in senior secondary schools. The Ministry is of the view that it is not advisable at this stage, both in view of the limited management capacity of most schools and in view of the difficulty of applying different funding methodologies to the junior and senior phases of secondary education. We are also concerned about the practical implications for schools and for provincial education departments of the strategic planning requirements that will apply to FET institutions. Accordingly, the extent to which schools will become fully integrated into the new framework and the pace at which such integration is likely to occur, are not fully resolved at this stage.

3.19 The Ministry's position on the inclusion of senior secondary schools in the new FET system, consequently includes the following elements.

3.20 Firstly, since Grades 10-12 fall within the FET band of the NQF, it is essential that FET policies and targets for FET provision take full account of the senior secondary school sector. An FET policy that ignores 70 per cent of the learners in FET would make little sense. For at least the next five years, therefore, policy and targets for the senior secondary phase of schooling will be developed by provincial departments of education within the national policy framework, in the form of an aggregated plan that will be reviewed by provincial FET advisory bodies. During this period, individual schools will be required to develop their missions and plans, as provided in the SASA.

3.21 Secondly, all schools will continue to be funded in terms of the national norms and standards for school funding determined by the Minister under the SASA. However, the Ministry will continue it; investigation of the merits and the practical implications of an extension of programme-based funding to at least some senior secondary schools. It may be possible, for instance, for some senior secondary schools to apply for programme-based funding, additional to their normal grants, to encourage the offering of new programmes that extend their existing curricula and that offer relevant opportunities to their learners.

3.22 Thirdly, formal institutional separation between the senior and junior phases is not feasible or cost-effective, at least for the foreseeable future, although there may be exceptional cases. All schools will continue to be governed in terms of the SASA. Should a school be declared, at some point in the future, an FET institution, it will become subject to the governance, funding and other provisions of the Further Education and Training Act to be promulgated.

3.23 Fourthly, we will develop a range of initiatives to encourage greater innovation and responsiveness in the school sector. We will encourage schools to introduce new programmes and curricula, and to develop collaborative relationships with one another. We will strongly encourage partnerships and resource sharing between schools and FET colleges, and links between schools, employers and community groupings, in order to create new and more meaningful opportunities for learners in the sector.

3.24 Despite difficulties that constrain the full development of the new FET system we propose, the Ministry is determined to direct the implementation of a progressive programme for change. The programme has six main elements.

3.25 Firstly, the National Board for Further Education and Training will be established to advise the Minister.

3.26 Secondly, the Ministry's collaboration with the Ministry of Labour will be intensified, both in the Inter-Ministerial Committee and in professional co operation between the Departments on the implementation of joint activities.

3.27 Thirdly, strong emphasis will be given to building capacity for the management of the FET sector in both the national and provincial education departments.

3.28 Fourthly, we will give priority to the full incorporation of the FET college sector into the new FET system.

3.29 Fifthly, we will initiate a parallel programme of progressive change in the school sector, by continuing the implementation of the governance and funding provisions of the SASA and through the phased introduction of outcomes-based education. Schools will be encouraged to implement focused and sustainable school development plans and to co-operate with one another to improve the quality and relevance of provision. Partnerships between schools and colleges will be encouraged, as an important means of expanding the range of learning opportunities available to our young people. Provincial education departments will develop an aggregated plan for the development of the school sector as part of the FET system in their provinces, in accordance with provincial human resource development strategies.

3.30 Sixthly, we will invite our social partners, FET providers and stakeholders to join with us in building the FET system our country needs.

4.1 The central objective of this White Paper is to build the policy foundation and scaffolding for a new FET system that is responsive to the needs of our people and that is efficient, effective and accountable to its clients and stakeholders.

4.2 The most significant conceptual change from the current system is that the development of the nationally co-ordinated system will be premised on a programme-based definition of FET. This approach is consistent with the development of the NQF as provided for in the South African Qualifications Authority Act, 1995 (Act No. 58 of 1995) and the programme-based definition of the HE system, as provided for in the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act No. 101 of 1997).

4.3 Therefore, FET comprises all learning pro`3rammes leading to qualifications above the proposed General Education and Training Certificate (or the current Grade 9 level) up to and including the Further Education and Training Certificate (or the current Senior Certificate or Grade 12 level).

4.6 We will establish a new framework for the governance of FET to drive the development of the new system and to ensure its responsiveness to the needs of our people and our country.

4.7 This new framework will be based on the principles of co-operative governance. It will provide for a strong steering, co-ordinating and developmental role for Government, substantial powers for FET institutions, and partnerships between Government, organised business and labour, and communities.

4.8 As provided for in the Constitution, the Minister of Education will determine national policy, norms and standards for FET. Provincial MECs for Education will be responsible for the provision of FET in FET institutions under their jurisdiction and for the funding and administration of institutions.

4.9 A National Board for Further Education and Training (NBFET) will be established as a major statutory body to advise the Minister on matters relating to the transformation and development of the FET system. The NBFET will be required to:

4.10 The Minister will appoint ordinary and non-voting members of the NBFET by regulations in terms of section 11(1)(b) of the National Education Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996). The Minister must invite nominations for the chairperson and the ordinary members of the NBFET from:

4.11 FET institutions will be granted substantial powers in terms of new FET legislation. Each FET institution will be governed by a council that will have strong stakeholder representation, as well as representation from the management, staff and learners at the institution. The council will perform all functions that are necessary and in the interests of the institution, including developing its mission and strategic plans, managing its financial affairs and, over and above the official establishment created by the MEC of the province, employing additional staff.

4.12 In terms of the Employment of Educators Act, 1998, the power to create educator posts at FET institutions rests with the MEC, while the power to appoint educators to such posts, on the recommendation of the council of the institution, rests with the head of the provincial education department. The state as the employer of publicly funded educators in an FET institution will have the same powers as the employer of publicly funded educators in the school system. The academic affairs of an FET institution, will be the responsibility of an academic board, subject to the final authority of the council. Learners will be represented through a student representative council.

4.13 Many different types of institutions provide FET, but the Further Education and Training Act will require that those institutions wishing to provide FET and falling within the portfolio of responsibilities of the Minister and the provincial MECs, be declared FET institutions. Prior to their declaration as FET institutions, the necessary capacity will be developed in order to ensure that they can perform the functions required by law. During the transitional period, the governance and funding of institutions will continue in terms of existing legislation.

4.14 Since FET institutions will, from time to time be required to enter into agreements and to be the employers of additional staff, it will be important that they have the legal capacity to act. It is therefore necessary for an FET institution to be a juristic person, and for the council to act on behalf of the institution in the performance of its functions.

4.15 The Ministry recognises that private provision plays an important role in expanding access to FET, in particular through responding to labour market opportunities and learner demand. As we outlined in the White Paper on Higher Education (1997), the key challenge in expanding the role of private institutions is to create an environment that neither suffocates educationally sound and sustainable private institutions with state over--regulation, nor allows a plethora of poor quality, unsustainable 'fly-by-night' operators into the FET market.

4.16 A regulatory framework will be established under the Further Education and Training Act, 1998, to ensure thank only private institutions with the necessary infrastructure and resources to provide and sustain quality FET programmes will be registered. Such programmer will need to be accredited through procedures established by regulations in terms of the South African Qualifications Authority Act, 1995 (Act No. 58 of 1995).

4.17 The reconstruction and development of our nation after decades of colonial and apartheid rule place many new and urgent requirements on our national education and training system. These include redress of past discriminatory practices, the nurturing of a responsible citizenship grounded in our democratic Constitution and the development of the knowledge and skills base of the economy and society. When these are combined with the international cultures of Lifelong Learning and the Knowledge Society, tine implications for the development of a new learning system, and in particular for curricula and qualifications, are dramatic.

4.18 The Ministry understands that, when combined, these will place a premium on:

4.19 Our learning and teaching system must undergo urgent change for it to meet the challenges described here, and to develop into the 21st century learning and teaching system that our country needs. We outline below the overarching policy framework within which the curricula and qualifications for FET will be developed and introduced in a phased and managed manner.

4.20 The NQF is designed to promote the integration of education and training, offer multiple entry and exit points to learners and ensure learner mobility and the portability of credits. The NQF provides the framework for the development of a new, integrated FET curriculum, which will offer a flexible mix of fundamental, core and elective learning to meet the needs and requirements of learners, employers and HE institutions.

4.21 The new curriculum will overcome the outdated divisions between 'academic' and 'vocational' education, and between education and training and will be 'characterised' not by the 'vocationalisation" of education, but by a sound foundation of general knowledge, combined with practical relevance. The curriculum will offer the learner flexibility and choice, whilst ensuring that all programmes and qualifications offer a coherent and meaningful learning experience.

4.22 In keeping with the requirements of the regulations under the South African Qualifications Authority Act, 1 995 (Act No. 58 of 1995), all FET qualifications will comprise three basic components, namely fundamental, core and elective learning.

4.23 The new FET curriculum will offer multiple entry and exit points and a diversity of learning programmes and qualifications to meet the varied needs of learners in different fields and at different stages of their lives. Learners who specialise early will be able to do so in the knowledge that this specialisation is neither too narrow nor deficient with respect to underpinning knowledge and values, and that further progression is possible. Learners who choose to specialise later will be assured that their programmer and qualifications provide adequate exposure to the realities and demands of social and economic life, as well as a meaningful foundation for future specialisation.

4.24 The combination of fundamental, core and elective learning will determine the breadth and depth of a learning programme and a qualification. A more flexible approach to the determination of programmes and qualifications will be introduced. Learner choice will only be limited by the need for coherence, adequate depth of learning, the requirements of further and higher learning, and work.

4.25 A modern and progressive framework for the recognition of prior learning (RPL) will be developed, so that those who have been denied formal opportunities for learning and those who have developed their knowledge and skills through self-study or work experience, can be given credit and obtain a qualification without unnecessary duplication of effort, expense or wastage of time.

4.26 Exit qualifications, such as the current Senior Certificate, the National Senior Certificate and the Further Education and Training Certificate (FETC), which will replace the first two qualifications in clue course, will provide a reliable and credible basis for selection and entry to HE and will provide employers with a realistic profile of a learner's knowledge and competencies.

4.27 Learner counselling and support services will be established to help new entrants to FET to make meaningful choices about their direction of study and to ensure that all learners, including previously excluded and disadvantaged groups, are given every opportunity to succeed. Career guidance and support services will provide information on learning programmes, education and training providers, qualifications and job opportunities. FET providers will be required to ensure that learners have access to up-to-date labour market information, indicating skill shortages, career opportunities and trends in the job market. The Ministry of Education will work closely with the Ministry of Labour to develop a labour market information service to help meet these requirements. In addition, we will propose that the new funding arrangements provide for academic development, guidance, counselling, health, welfare and other learner support services.

4.28 Last but not least, funding norms for FET will need to make provision for the ongoing professional development of the educator corps to meet the challenges of outcomes-based education and the new curricula.

4.29 Assessment has two distinct but related objectives. Firstly, it must provide valid and reliable information about the achievements and competencies of learners. Secondly, assessment must be developmental and formative, providing learners with feedback and guidance on their progress and performance. The Ministry's approach to assessment has two elements. The first flows directly from its broader approach to institutional autonomy and responsibility. Other than at key certification points, assessment in FET institutions will be primarily an institutional responsibility, within the framework of approved curricula, outcomes and quality assurance mechanisms. Arrangements will be made to ensure the validity and reliability of the assessment process through external monitoring and moderation.

4.30 The second element of the Ministry's approach relates to the need to provide employers, HE institutions and learners themselves with publicly recognised, reliable information on their knowledge, competencies and performance, at the point at which they enter the labour market as qualified work-seekers, or seek admission to HE. Accordingly, public examinations will be maintained at the critical Senior Certificate and N3 levels and their equivalents in order to ensure the comparability and integrity of results and the currency of FET exit qualifications.

4.31 The national public examinations for existing N4 to N6 courses will be maintained until such time as they have been incorporated into the new HE accreditation and quality assurance frameworks.

4.32 Quality assurance and quality improvement are fundamental to ensuring that FET programmes meet the needs of learners, communities, employers and society. Quality assurance provides a means of bench-marking our programmer and qualifications against one another and against world-class standards. It provides a basis for the recognition of credits and for articulation and transfer within FET and between FET and HE, and ill plays a vital role in ensuring that programmes and qualifications have currency with employers. Continuous quality improvement is vital if we are to redress the inequalities and deficiencies of the past and ensure the responsiveness and relevance of provision in a dynamically changing and globally competitive world.

4.33 International and local best practice shows that quality is driven from within organisations and institutions. We believe that the primary responsibility for quality assurance rests with FET providers. This means that the management of quality and continuous quality improvement must become integral to organisational practice and part of the organisational culture of all FET institutions. This will require that FET managers are equipped to lead and manage quality within the institution as a core responsibility of their jobs and it implies that institutional governing bodies will hold FET managers and teaching and support staff accountable for the quality of provision and the services provided.

4.34 Quality assurance also requires external validation, in accordance with the requirements of the South African Qualifications Authority Act, 1995 (Act No. 58 of 1995).

4.35 in our context, the national and provincial education departments have a special responsibility to promote the quality of provision, provide support and guidance to institutional managers and professional staff, and validate institutional quality assurance systems. Accordingly, after consultation with provincial MECs for Education and the NBFET, the Ministry will establish an umbrella FET Quality Assurance Body (FETQA).

4.36 The FETQA will collaborate with the Sector Education and Training Authorities provided for in the Department of Labour's Skills Development Act to ensure quality assurance across the FET band.

4.37 The NBFET will play an important advisory role with respect to quality assurance and quality promotion across the FET system.

4.38 As provided for in the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act No. 101 of 1997), the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education will be responsible for quality assurance for all HE programmes, including those offered by FET institutions.

4.39 Funding will be a key instrument for influencing the responsiveness of FET institutions to the achievement of national goals, the enhancement of the performance of the system, the widening of participation and the promotion of equity and redress. Since the public funding of the FET system is the responsibility of provincial education departments, the new funding framework must be expressed in the form of national policy, including norms and minimum standards, by the Minister of Education after proper investigation and consultation. This will be done in terms of the Further Education and Training Act, 1998. Actual budgetary allocations to FET institutions will be made by provincial education departments in terms of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) budgetary principles and in line with agreed plans and priorities.

4.40 For schools within the senior secondary grades, these objectives will be served by the national norms and standards for school funding under the SASA. Other FET institutions will be brought progressively under the new FET funding framework, once it has been formally determined by the Minister. As previously indicated, some schools may convert, over time, into FET institutions in terms of the Act, and will then be subject to the funding provisions of the Act. Other schools may develop the competence to access programme-based FET funding to support innovative programmes.

4.41 The new funding approach for FET institutions will comprise four elements: Formula funding of programmes, funding for special purposes, student financial aid and private funding.

4.42 The major innovation will be programme-based funding of FET institutions. This will give Government the capability to determine which FET programmes will be funded from public funds, and to steer provision in accordance with the country's HRD and socio-economic priorities. The bulk of FET funding, therefore, other than for schools, will be for approved programmes leading to qualifications or credits. Formula funding for programmes will be based on the relative costs of providing different programmes to an average learner and will take into account staff salaries, learning materials, maintenance costs and other relevant expenses. Funding units will be expressed in terms of full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolments and will include an outcomes-related element to encourage learner retention and success. Funding will be the same for any given programme, regardless of the mode or locus of delivery.

4.43 In addition, within the MTEF of Government, it will be necessary to allocate funds for specified purposes that enjoy national priority, such as management capacity building, staff development, learner support systems and initiatives aimed at widening participation and promoting equity and redress. Funds may also be made available for the development of new programmes linked to 'sunrise industries', developing skills for meeting basic needs in the community and other specific purposes of high social value.

4.44 The Ministry does not envisage that the resources will be available in the foreseeable future to establish a national system of student financial aid for FET. However, we will explore other ways of ensuring that capable and deserving individuals are not excluded from accessing FET on financial grounds. We will encourage the development of progressive fee policies, which allow for reduction or remission of fees for academically successful, but poor learners.

4.45 The Ministry will place a strong emphasis an increasing private contributions to FET, through a well-planned user fees policy and by encouraging institutions to develop the capacity to raise income through service contracts, joint ventures, or targeted fund-raising.

4.46 The implementation of the Skills Development Act of the Ministry of Labour will have implications of the utmost importance for FET institutions and the provincial education authorities. These are being examined in detail by the Ministries of Education and Labour. FET institutions must be assisted to engage responsively with the new opportunities to be opened up by the Act. They will need to develop the capacity to offer and manage learnerships made available by the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and to launch and sustain programmes that would attract support from the National Skills Fund, directed toward rural skills needs and the learning requirements of the long term unemployed.

4.47 We acknowledge considerable information deficiencies in the public school and college sectors. There is no fully, reliable, up-to-date database on private providers, although valuable initial work was done by the NCFE. As a result, academic and financial planning are weak, learners, communities and employers are unable to make informed choices about programmes or providers, and accountability is seriously compromised. Similarly, the planning and development of a nationally co-ordinated FET system cannot proceed at full pace in the absence of adequate management information. A new national FET management information system, linked to provincial and institutional information systems, will be developed to provide the critical information base on which analysis and planning can take place and on which the operation of programmes-based funding will depend. This information management system will be linked to the Ministry of Labour's management information system for the labour-market-based skills development system, as described earlier in this White Paper.

5.1 Our long-term vision is the development of a co-ordinated FET system providing high-quality, flexible and responsive programmes and opportunities for a learning society.

5.2 The FET system will include a range of different kinds of institutions. Schools will continue to educate large numbers of our young people, but many will choose to continue their education and training in the more open and adult-orientated environment of an FET institution. Some FET institutions will occupy specialised niches or serve key provincial and national needs, concentrating scarce expertise and resources to create national centres of excellence. Others will offer a comprehensive range of career, collegiate and community programmer, in accordance with the demands and opportunities presented by their immediate environments.

5.3 Our open learning philosophy and programme-based approach to provision will encourage institutional diversity, the use of multiple sites of learning and the growth of 'virtual' institutions. Learning will take place in the workplace, at community facilities and in learners' private homes. Some learners will use the Internet and other technologies to access learning via a 'web' or network of providers who might be located very far apart and who need have no formal, centralised organisation or structure. Open learning systems and an integrated approach to education and training will thus allow people to learn what they want, when they want and in the form they want, to satisfy their cultural, spiritual, career, personal development and other needs.

5.4 The vision and goals we have just outlined reflect a twenty-year developmental perspective. They indicate the type of open learning, high-quality FET system our country will need in the 21st century.

5.5 Our short-term to medium-term goals will need to be focused more immediately on addressing the weaknesses and deficiencies of our current system. They will at the same time begin to lay the foundations for the kind of system we wish to build over the next twenty years.

5.6 Below, we outline in more detail the strategic changes that we will introduce over the next five years. These focus on building capacity in the system, establishing the new governance and funding frameworks which will drive the process of change over the next five years and beyond, and managing the change process responsibly, with determination, commitment and purpose.

5.7 We will establish an effective management, policy, planning and monitoring capacity in the Department of Education, under senior departmental leadership, to guide and support the development of the new FET system. We will assist provincial education departments to develop effective management systems and capacity. We will institute a range of programmes and initiatives to build leadership and management capacity in FET institutions and governing bodies. The professional development of our education and training practitioners will also be addressed.

5.8 To support the new FET system, we will help to develop effective institutional, provincial and national FET management information systems. The new policy framework for programme-based FET funding will be investigated, tested and consulted on, before approval by the Minister.

5.9 We will give immediate priority to establishing the new National Board for FET.

5.10 In the next five years, we will promote curricular changes and the development of partnerships to provide better opportunities for young people in senior secondary schools. We will encourage the reorganisation of the FET college sector and move rapidly and progressively to bring colleges into the new funding, governance and planning framework for FET. We will ensure effective learning pathways between FET and HE. Exit qualifications will provide a reliable and credible basis for selection into HE, as well as into the labour market.

5.11 We will build new partnerships with the social partners, communities, NGOs and others, to promote the development of new, more responsive programmer and curricula, build capacity and mobilise resources and expertise for the development of the new FET system. In particular, we will deepen the relationship between FET and the Skills Development Programme of the Ministry of Labour.

5.12 The Department of Education and the nine provincial departments of education will play a key role, particularly over the next five years, in laying the foundations of the new FET system. The Department of Education will develop the new funding methodology and management information system, it will initiate a capacity-building programme, and it will establish a national advisory structure together with the legislative framework for a co-ordinated FET system. Provincial departments will undertake the reorganisation of their FET college systems, develop and implement FET planning and monitoring procedures, and establish consultative structures to advise on FET policy and goals. They will play a key role in building institutional capacity and in managing the introduction of the new FET system.

5.13 Clearly, the implementation of our FET policy will place new demands and responsibilities on our education departments. Current organisational arrangements and line responsibilities will be reviewed to ensure that dedicated and high-level management capacity is committed to take forward this vital undertaking.

5.14 The enhancement of the organisational capacity of the education departments is a prerequisite for successful implementation. Urgent attention will be given to building departmental capacity with respect to strategic planning, management information systems, financial management and programme development. The education departments will develop innovative strategies for providing developmental support to FET institutions, in partnership with the donor community, the private sector, HE institutions, NGOs, experts and service providers.

5.15 In the first year of building the new system, the Minister will appoint a National Board for Further Education and Training (NBFET).

5.16 Provincial advisory bodies will need to be established in terms of provincial legislation. These bodies will advise provincial education authorities on the approval of institutional strategic plans and on system planning for schools that offer FET programmes and qualifications. After consulting the NBFET, the Department of Education will publish guidelines for the submission and review of institutional strategic plans on FET by provincial advisory bodies and provincial education departments. Provinces will be able to augment these to meet their own needs and circumstances.

5.17 Some FET providers, such as the present technical colleges, offer programmes that are at a higher level than Level 4 on the NQF and are therefore regarded as falling within the HE band. Many institutions have expanded these N4 - N6 courses in recent years. We will therefore adopt a clear and consistent policy regarding articulation and transfer between FET and HE, in order to ensure learner progression. Equally, bearing in mind the human resource development needs of the country and the funding and governance implications of such provision, we will to develop a flexible but clear and consistent policy for the provision of FET and HE programmes by FET and HE institutions.

5.18 The Ministry has adopted a programme-based approach to both FET and HE. The logic of this position is that the boundary between FET and HE should be seen as 'soft' or permeable. There is no reason, in principle, why an FET provider cannot offer programmes that fall within the HE band, or vice versa, just as there is no reason in principle why an FET provider might not offer certain programmes at the GET and Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET), levels.

5.19 Having said this, our position is that all HE programmes, whether offered by HE or FET institutions, will be subject to the planning, funding and quality assurance policy of the White Paper on Higher Education and the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act No. 101 of 1997). In other words, all providers of HE programmes will have to play by the same HE rules.

5.20 We believe that the core business of FE1- institutions, which is the provision of FET programmes, should not be allowed to suffer as a result of 'mission drift' or academic emulation. Moreover, especially in the first phases of establishing a new FET and HE system, care must be taken to ensure that the quality and relevance of provision, and the articulation of programmes within and across the FET and HE bands, are strengthened. Accordingly, we will establish a clear policy framework, in consultation with the Council on Higher Education and the NBFET, to regulate these matters. Policy on the interface between FET and HE will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that both FET and HE provision continue to be responsive to the demands of learners and stakeholders and to the needs of the country.

5.21 The practical consequences of our position are as follows: We need to inform the development of appropriate policies and practical measures to ensure quality, relevance and articulation between FET and HE programmes. Pending the development of a policy framework and appropriate guidelines and regulations, FET providers that offer HE programmes may continue doing so. Existing funding arrangements and procedures for the approval of programmes will remain in force on an interim basis, until the new policy framework and guidelines have been put in place.

5.22 The Ministry has initiated a process that will lead to initial recommendations regarding a new, integrated framework for FET programmes, curricula and qualifications in schools and colleges. This work will move into higher gear over the coming year. Our intention is to begin the introduction of an integrated FET curriculum and to introduce the new FETC as a recognised exit qualification in the year 2005.

5.23 In the meanwhile, over the next two years, we will encourage the development of school, college and employer linkages, and of other innovative programmes and initiatives As a result, more meaningful education and training opportunities and improved access to HE and the labour market will be offered to learners m senior secondary schools.

5.24 Given the complexities of the budget system for provincial education departments, the Ministry will support initiatives within the MTEF to allocate dedicated funding for the development of college and industry linkages and partnerships, to develop new programmes and curricula and to restructure and modernise existing programmes in order to meet the needs of the labour market. We will place particular emphasis on promoting linkages that combine theory with practice and that offer learners practical and on-the-job training.

5.25 The Ministry will support the allocation of dedicated funds to encourage the development of new courses, which will support community education and community development initiatives, including programmes to promote enterprise development, entrepreneurship and job creation. Such programmes may be linked to the spatial development initiatives and job creation and human resource development initiatives of Government and the private sector, and community-based development initiatives.

5.26 A high-priority initiative, in collaboration with the provincial education departments, the Department of Labour and the new National Skills Authority and Sectoral

Education and Training Authorities, will be promoted, to fast-track a systematic preparation for the introduction of learnerships in FET colleges and other programmes envisaged by the Skills Development Act.

5.27 After consulting with provincial MECs for Education and the NBFET, the Ministry will establish an umbrella FET Quality Assurance Body (FETQA). The FETQA will collaborate with the Sector Education and Training Authorities envisaged in the Skills Development Act to ensure quality assurance across the FET band. The NBFET will play an important advisory role in respect of quality assurance and quality promotion across the FET system.

5.28 As provided for in the Higher Education Act, the Higher Education Quality Committee of the Council on Higher Education will be responsible for quality assurance for all HE programmes, including those offered by FET institutions.

5.29 Public examinations will be maintained at the critical Senior Certificate and N3 levels and their equivalents in order to ensure the comparability and integrity of results and the currency of FET exit qualifications.

5.30 The national public examinations for existing N4 to N6 courses will be maintained until such time as they have been incorporated into the new HE accreditation and quality assurance frameworks.

5.31 The Ministry and provincial education authorities have initiated a capacity-building programme for the new school governing bodies established in terms of the SASA. We have also launched a nation-wide school district development initiative, to strengthen the management of schools and school districts and to promote school quality. The Culture of Learning, Teaching and Service (COLTS) Campaign will continue to promote the inculcation of a renewed ethos of teaching, learning and service in our schools.

5.32 The Ministry aims to extend these initiatives in the next five years to include a particular focus on strategic planning in secondary schools, to encourage curriculum innovation and diversification and to promote partnerships and linkages with FET institutions and employers.

5.33 In collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, SETAs, interested NGOs and academic institutions, we will develop a framework for the recognition of prior learning (RPL), so that those who have been denied formal opportunities for learning and who have developed their knowledge and skills through self-study or work experience, can be assessed, given credit where due and proceed to obtain a qualification without unnecessary duplication of effort, expense or wastage of time.

5.34 Career guidance and learner support services will be a central element of the new FET system. Career guidance and support services will provide information on learning programmes, education and training providers, qualifications and job opportunities. FET providers will need to give learners access to up-to-date labour market information, indicating skills shortages, career opportunities and trends in the job market. The Ministry will work closely with the Ministry of Labour to develop a labour market information service to meet these requirements.

5.35 To meet these needs, we will ensure that provision is made in the new funding arrangements for the furtherance of academic development, guidance, counselling, health, welfare and other learner support services.

5.36 Provision for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) will also be integrated into the new funding arrangements once LSEN policy has been determined. The Ministry will develop and support initiatives that aim to include as many learners with special education needs as is practically possible within the ordinary system of education and training provision.

5.37 The Ministry endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the Report of the Gender Equity Task Team (1997), which states, in respect of FET and schooling, that:

5.38 The Ministry will therefore pay particular attention to the needs of women and to gender matters in its policies and practice.

5.39 The introduction of the new programme-based funding system rests upon a number of important prior steps. The determination of approved programmes and qualifications is a prerequisite for calculating the application of the funding formula. A review of existing programmes and qualifications will be undertaken in order to develop an initial funding 'grid', which will serve as the framework for the determination of new funding norms.

5.40 The funding grid will locate all approved programmer within a matrix of broad subject fields and qualifications levels, and will assign teaching materials, infrastructure and other costs per full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolment to all the programmes in each cell.

5.41 At the same time, work will begin on the determination of the information requirements that will underpin the budgetary process, and on establishing the core elements of an institutional and systemic management information system to enable the piloting and implementation of the new funding system.

5.42 Equally important, we will undertake a planned and focused programme to build the necessary financial management capacities in the national and provincial education departments and in FET institutions.

5.42 The key stage in the implementation of the new funding system will be the delegation of budgetary authority and control to FET institutions, as it is at this point that serious potential for mismanagement and abuse arises. Accordingly, a fundamental criterion for the declaration of an FET school, college or other provider as an FET institution as it will be outlined in the FET Act, 1998, will be its demonstrated capacity to manage its own budget and to comply with the requirements of programme-based funding

5.44 There will be two key steps in the process of delegating budgetary authority to FET institutions. The first step will be a 'dry run' of the strategic planning and budgetary process. Institutions will draw up institutional plans and budgets on paper and these will be reviewed by the education departments and FET advisory bodies. Once an institution has satisfactorily completed one or more dry runs and has familiarised itself with the operations of the new funding framework, it will undergo a professional audit of its financial systems and controls. Only when its financial systems, capacity and compliance with other requirements to be determined in the Further Education and Training Act, 1998, have been assessed and certified, will an institution be declared an FET institution as defined in the legislation and granted delegated budgetary authority.

5.45 Provincial education departments will be responsible for implementing the funding methods, norms and standards determined by the Minister for FET programmes within the MTEF. Taking into account national goals and targets, and after consulting the provincial advisory body for FET, an MEC will establish provincial goals and targets for FET. Provincial education departments will approve institutional strategic plans, taking into consideration national and provincial targets and the advice of the provincial advisory body.

5.46 Following the review of institutional plans, the provincial education departments will allocate funds to each FET institution. A memorandum specifying the purposes for which the funds are to be used and the targets that are to be attained, will accompany each allocation. FET institutions will be responsible for ensuring that they meet the targets agreed to in the funding memorandum and will be required to manage their financial affairs and account for their use of public funds.

5.47 The period leading up to the declaration of a provider as an FET institution will be critical to the success of the new system. As has been explained, the Minister will set out clear requirements regarding the institutional systems and capacities that must be in place and the criteria that must be met before a declaration may be made. Declaration of an institution will be preceded by 'dry runs' of the planning and funding cycles and institutions will have to pass an independent professional audit before budgetary authority is delegated.

5.48 This means that not all institutions will be brought into the new system on the same date. The Ministry's approach has three strands. Firstly, in order to fast-track and pilot the introduction of the new system, we will bring forward the declaration of FET institutions that have demonstrated capacity and potential, through the allocation of targeted funding and support. The pilot group will include the most progressive and developed colleges from among both what is currently known as state and state-aided institutions.

5.49 Parallel to this initiative, we will target a limited number of previously disadvantaged institutions for a priority capacity- building and development initiative, with the aim of declaring them as FET institutions within the first two to three years.

5.50 Over the next three to five years, longer-term training and development initiatives will draw increasing numbers of providers into the new system and will begin to correct past imbalances and distortions.

5.51 The process of preparing institutions for inclusion in the new system will require a number of important institutional changes and developments, over and above the outlined planning, financial management and management information systems requirements. The most important of these are outlined in the remainder of this chapter.

5.52 Once the Further Education and Training Act, 1998, has been enacted, the process of nominating new college councils will begin. These will be appointed by MECs and will have a vital role to pity in overseeing the process leading up to declaration as an FET institution. Councils will play a leading role in the development of an institution's mission and the drafting of its strategic plans. They will ensure the financial accountability of the management of institutions and, together with the provincial departments of education, they will play a vital role in the appointment of an institutions management and staff.

5.53 To enable the new councils to carry out their responsibilities effectively, a training and development programme for council members will be essential.

5.54 At the same time, colleges will establish academic boards and learner representative councils, as required by legislation.

5.55 Professional development programmes for educators must be initiated. The support of industry and the donor community will be sought to provide work based training and exchange opportunities, as well as on-site development of college staff. The development of middle management will be accorded high priority.

5.56 We will support the development of incentives for institution-based curriculum development, in partnership with employers and other client groups.

5.57 The physical planning and development of college facilities and equipment must be given urgent attention within each province's strategic plan for the sector. This will require the development of institutional partnerships and consortia, clustering, or mergers, to optimise the use of scarce resources and to achieve economies of scale. Private sector and donor support will be sought to complement new public investment, which will need to be allocated within the priorities of the MTEF.

EMP/SKILLS - Skills and Employability Department