R1.9bn boost for training colleges
David Masango
7 February 2006
South Africa is to spend R1.9-billion on the country's further education and training institutions over the next three years, focusing on skills identified as being scarce or in short supply, particularly in the areas of science and technology.
The move is part of government's broader skills development strategy.
Accelerated growth
"President Thabo Mbeki indicated in his State of the Nation address that skills development will be a key element of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (Asgisa)," Education Minister Naledi Pandor told reporters in Parliament on Monday.
Pandor is the chairperson of the government's skills development strategy cluster - consisting of the Departments of Education, Labour, Science and Technology as well as Sport and Recreation.
Some of the strategic programmes will focus on the promotion of science and technology, particularly the areas of
astronomy, space science and biotechnology.
In this regard, the cluster departments are modernising the school curriculum and transforming and restructuring higher education institutions.
Financial aid
A total of R1.3-billion has also been allocated this year to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme for student loans.
The cluster departments will also focus on strengthening the schooling system from Grade R - with the aim of increasing enrolments in this grade from 400 000 presently to a million by 2010, Pandor told reporters
On the exemption of certain schools from charging fees, Pandor said the Act had been signed into law and provincial departments of education were now working on implementation plans.
Skills programmes
She said the revised national skills development strategy was a comprehensive framework to develop skills for both the employed and unemployed through projects
funded by Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) and the National Skills Fund.
"One of the most significant changes in the strategy relates to Setas broadening their support of learners in learnerships, apprenticeships, internships, bursaries, workplace experiential learning and unit standards based skills programmes," the minister said.
Pandor said that R421-million was allocated in 2005 for training unemployed people through provincial offices in projects linked to housing, agriculture, road construction and working for water - benefiting about 80 000 people.
The government is also investing more in the Siyadlala mass participation programme to provide access to sport and recreation activities to those who could not access sporting facilities in the past.
"This programme is intended to inculcate a healthy lifestyle among the youth and divert their energies away from anti-social behaviour," Pandor said.
"The academy will expand its activities
to include support to the South African Football Association to prepare a competitive team for the 2010 Fifa World Cup," she added.
Source: BuaNews
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