Category: Education

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TVET students urged to contact their colleges for certificates

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has advised Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students to contact the colleges where they wrote their exams regarding their certificates and diplomas.

Higher Education and Training Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, said the certificates for students are released to colleges within 90 days after the release of results for students who meet certification requirements.

“Students who write examinations over multiple examinations to qualify for certification are expected to apply for the combination of their results at the last examination centre where they wrote their examination.  The centre will in return submit the application to the DHET for further processing.

“Students may also submit their enquiries on the eGOV portal, www.eservices.gov.za, which is monitored by a dedicated team at the DHET. 

“We, however, advise that all enquiries be lodged first with their college of registration before considering any escalations to the DHET, since feedback is always communicated to the college and not individual students,” Nzimande explained.

Almost 100% certificates released

The Minister said that 99.94% of certificates for the previous certification backlog (historical records) have been released to colleges for qualifying students after results combinations were processed.

The Minister said the department discourages colleges from withholding student certificates due to outstanding fees.

“Colleges must find workable solution to recover the outstanding fees,” Nzimande said.

Umalusi approves release of over 39 000 candidates’ results

Nzimande also announced that Umalusi Council has approved the results and released the approval letter to the Department of Higher Education and Training.

This follows a meeting held by Umalusi Assessment Standards Committee (ASC) and the department on 5 September 2022 to finalise proposals to normalise the performance of candidates in four subjects, including Maths N3, Engineering Science N3, Fitting and Machining N2 and Electro-technology N3.

Nzimande said the approval letter recommended the release of 39 777 candidates’ results and the nullification of the results of 2 028 candidates, who were implicated in examination irregularities.

“The results of 39 777 candidates were processed for release by DHET on 9 September 2022. Therefore, the results of 2 028 candidates implicated in these serious irregularities remain blocked,” Nzimande explained.

He said the report was provided to the National Irregularities and Assessment Committee (NEIC), which is empowered by the National Policy Pertaining to the Conduct, Administration and Management of Examinations of Colleges as amended, registered and reported in terms of the Continuing Education and Training Act of 2006 to execute the appropriate sanctions.

“The results remain nullified, as recommended by the Umalusi Council and concurred with by the National Irregularities and Assessment Committee.

“Accordingly, the implicated students will be allowed to register to write the end of the year examinations and if implicated again, they will be suspended for a period of three years from participating in future examinations,” Nzimande said.

The DHET condemned students who engage in irregularities, which has the effect of undermining the credibility and integrity of examinations.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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National School of Government rolls out courses for public servants

The National School of Government (NSG) is inviting public servants to sign up for the new Championing Anti-discrimination in the Public Service and Managing Performance in the Public Service courses.

The courses are currently available on the e-learning platform, at no cost.

According to the NSG, the Championing Anti-Discrimination in the Public Service course targets senior managers, while the Managing Performance course is for middle managers, who want to better understanding the public service performance management and development system.

The NSG said it has waived the fees for the Championing Anti-Discrimination in the Public Service to enable a speedier self-enrolment and access by public servants. The participants will study at their own pace online.

The Championing Anti-Discrimination in the Public Service course, according to the NSG, was developed explicitly to empower public servants with information and tools to end discrimination in the public service amongst public servants, and by public servants against the public.

Meanwhile, the Managing Performance in the Public Service course is designed to assist employees, who are not part of the Senior Management Service, to manage their performance and abide by the public service performance management system prescripts.

It will also enable them to, amongst other things, write performance goals that are measurable, clear, achievable and aligned to organisational objectives, assess performance continuously, identify gaps and compile a suggested plan of action, and revise performance objectives where required.

NSG principal, Professor Busani Ngcaweni, said the courses will help public servants to critically reflect on their own beliefs, attitudes, thought patterns, and behaviour.

“They will identify and apply relevant strategies and principles to challenge discrimination in all contexts, examine legislation that addresses discriminatory processes and plan how these principles can be applied.

“They will also be able to assess their departmental policies and practices in light of global anti-discrimination standards. Importantly, they will be empowered to initiate and support anti-discriminatory behaviour in the public sector,” he explained.

He has called on senior managers to undertake the course.

The NSG is mandated with the responsibility of ensuring that public servants comply with the provisions of established legislation, regulations and systems, and can exercise proper discretion and innovation in solving routine and complex delivery problems.

“The courses have been deliberately converted to free courses that are easily available on our e-learning platform so that public servants can enrol themselves easily and quickly, and be able to undertake the courses at their pace and convenience,” said Ngcaweni.

How to enrol for the courses:

Go to the NSG website (https://www.thensg.gov.za/).

Click on “Open eLearning courses” under the eLearning tab on the NSG website.

Follow the on-screen instructions to register an online profile (if they have not done so yet).

For enquiries contact: elearning@thensg.gov.za.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Fisantekraal housing beneficiaries empowered with estate planning education

The City of Cape Town in collaboration with the Western Cape Government has been on the ground helping recipients of subsidised housing with estate planning as homeownership brings forth possibilities to transfer an asset from one generation to the next. Having a legally binding will, provides clarity and keeps the peace.

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi and officials in the Human Settlements Directorate helped to assist first-time homeowners in Fisantekraal on Saturday, 17 September. 

‘Education is very important for our first-time homeowners. It is not only empowering but it provides a further measure of redress. Practical considerations of homeownership are so important, aspects such as maintenance, how to draw up a will and household budgeting and management are vital to beneficiaries. We thank the Western Cape Government for its wills drive and City officials too who dedicate many weekends and after-hours to ensure that beneficiaries are empowered not only with homeownership but the education that goes along with that,’ said Councillor Booi. 

Source: City Of Cape Town

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Survey Shows Over Half of South Africa’s Graduates Considering Emigration

CAPE TOWN — A survey in South Africa shows more than half of graduates are considering moving to another country because of few opportunities at home. Business Unity South Africa, which represents the private sector, says they are seeing the lowest levels of confidence in the country’s future since World War II.

The survey was conducted by the Social Research Foundation which calls itself a start-up think tank. Its director Frans Cronje dismissed social media criticism, which said it is funded by the main opposition Democratic Alliance Party.

Cronje says they are privately funded and not affiliated with any organization. He says his pollsters surveyed just over 3,000 people.

“On the question of emigration, what it identifies is that roughly a quarter of adult South Africans are considering emigration and that figure rises pretty steeply as you go to the top echelons of the skills base,” he said. “So, university graduates figure comes in at around 50 percent and also top earners.”

Cronje says the emigration figures are in line with other public opinion research the foundation has recently conducted.

“And this is all very consistent with broader public opinion based on South Africa, which shows that in response to tough economic circumstances and an increasingly troubling outlook towards the political future of the country, levels of concern about the long-term future have hit rates that I haven’t seen in 20 years of doing this stuff.”

Joshua Jacobs has been looking for a job since graduating from college last year. He is considering emigrating to Vietnam or South Korea to teach English, even though it is not what he studied.

“It’s quite dire at the moment. It doesn’t look like there’s an opportunity,” said Jacobs. ”I have a few friends who have already gone over and, based on what they are experiencing, it seems like way more viable than being here.”

Jacobs says he studied for three years and graduated with a degree in human resources management last year.

“I’ve been looking more or less in my field, but no luck there,” he said. “It is a weird position that I’m in. Because when I started studying, the market was a bit better in terms of HR, whereas now it doesn’t seem like there’s the same opportunities. The ones that there are, the pay has decreased and the experience needed has now increased.”

Bonang Mohale, president of Business Unity South Africa, says he thinks it’s regrettable when a country cannot hold onto the future workers in whom it’s invested so much.

He asks, what will happen if graduates leave in droves?

“The economy is already on its knees. It will further exacerbate the condition.”

The Social Research Foundation is planning follow-up research.

Source: Voice of America

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Formulation of anti-corruption agency underway

Justice and Constitutional Development Minister, Ronald Lamola, says that work on a multi-disciplinary anti-corruption agency is progressing in order to ensure that the looting and corruption that took place during the execution of the State Capture project is not ever repeated.

Lamola was speaking at the RMB Morgan Stanley Big Five Investor Conference held in Cape Town on Tuesday.

“The…critical work…is ensuring that the current investigative framework evolves into a multi-disciplinary anti-corruption law enforcement agency. By multi-disciplinary agency, we are referring to an agency which has the intelligence capacity, forensic depth, digital forensic capabilities and highly skilled prosecutors.

“A number of these skills sit in the private sector, especially forensic accountants, digital forensic skills, etc. At this point in time, the state cannot compete with the financial incentives that private sector provides for such skills,” he said.

Lamola added that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is also being strengthened to deal specifically with matters of ethics.

“We are establishing an Office for Ethics and Accountability for the NPA to detect and address any future unethical behaviour. After considering the necessary draft legislation, we should be able to establish this office by the end of this financial year.

“We are also in the process of putting in place all the necessary measures to ensure that the [NPA’s] investigative directorate becomes a permanent feature of our anti-corruption law enforcement framework,” he said.

The Minister said it is critical that accountability and justice become the norm and not the exception.

“The biggest crime deterrent is that whoever commits crime should be aware that the chances of he/she is being arrested, prosecuted and convicted are very high. This is an environment the criminal justice cluster is working to create. Without the rule of law, our democracy will be derailed and ultimately irretrievably deferred.

“There are a number of areas in which progress has been made from the establishment of special commercial crime courts in all our provinces, to the ever-increasing number of civil recoveries in special tribunal of special investigating unit amounting to billions of Rands recovered through our Asset Forfeiture Unit in criminal matters,” he said.

Lamola emphasised that government is committed to ensuring that the NPA does its work independent of any influence and that the Constitution guarantees the NPA’s prosecutorial autonomy.

“We’ve been very clear that the NPA must do their work without any fear or favour and that there will be no political interference from myself or the President. Section 32 (1) (b) [says]…no organ of state and no member or employee of an organ of state nor any other person shall improperly interfere with, hinder or obstruct the prosecuting authority or any member thereof in the exercise, carrying out or performance of its, his or her powers, duties and functions.

“Section 41 (1) [says]…any person who contravenes the provisions of section 32 (1) (b) shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

“All [of] this progress is crucial to safeguard our democracy,” he said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

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Employment and Labour on closure of Giyani Primary school due to non-compliance

A Giyani Primary school partly closed due to non-compliance – Employment and Labour

An Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) inspector in Giyani, Limpopo Province has partially closed a school following a reactive inspection that took place on Wednesday 07 September 2022 at Matsambu Primary School Nkuri Village. The inspection follows a tip-off from the Basic Conditions of Employment Inspectors during a planned inspection at the school, they notified the OHS inspector to visit the school as they were horrified about the condition of the building in which learners and teachers were learning and teaching was taking place.

The school was found not to be compliant with the OHS Act 85 of 1993 as amended – which specifies that if the state of the building threatens or threatens the health and/or safety of persons, then the building should be prohibited with immediate effect from being occupied or continued used in terms of section 30 of the above said Act.

The inspector prohibited parts of the school based on the following:

1. Library Building

The library building is used to store old unused books and tools and was also used as an office or rest area for the student’s assistants. The condition of the library building was as follows:

The electricity in the building was not working and it was dark in the room.

Some of the shelves used to store the books were unstable and not in a good condition. They are at risk of falling at any given time.

Even though there were a lot of books and tools stored in the building, with the high risk of fire there was no provision of fire extinguishers.

The building could be a very good hiding spot for serpents as there are a lot of things stored in it and the housekeeping is not good.

The school grounds have long grass that could attract snakes, which could easily go and hide in the building since the door was also not working.

The building was prohibited from being used.

2. Old School Buildings (also known as Ma-2 room block and hall block)

The school still had the old school blocks that were constructed when the school was opened. These two school buildings were named Ma-2 room block and hall block. These two old buildings are used as classrooms, a school hall, and a storeroom. The condition of the old school building was as follows:

The electricity in the building did not work and there were exposed electricity wires from the ceiling and walls.

Some of the walls of the building were cracked and most windows were removed and broken.

Both buildings did not have fire extinguishers or any means of fire protection.

Most of the classrooms did not have doors and windows and students are exposed to the weather elements when using them.

The floors, walls, and roof were all not in a good condition.

3. Students’ Toilet

The school had two separate toilet buildings for male students and female students.:

The urinals were all broken and missing. Most of the toilet seats were damaged and not in good overall condition.

The ventilation system, which consists of external chimney pipes that help to extract the odours from the toilets was damaged and removed. There are many exposed holes at the back of the toilet, which is a hazard for the learners as they could fall in.

The hygienic condition of the building was very bad and it could be a breeding ground for diseases.

4. Change rooms, facilities, environmental and general safety

Fire extinguishers: were not provided in the whole workplace.

First aid box: was provided with suitable first aid contents.

Lights: all the rooms and offices had lights and luminaires that were defective and are not replaced or repaired.

Roof, floors, and walls: the roof was in a good condition in most of the building but most had falling ceiling boards.

The floors had potholes in some of the classrooms. Most of the classrooms had broken windows and broken or missing doors.

OHS Specialist Lucia Ramusi said, “There is a misconception that OHS Act is only applicable to the private sector. The truth is it is applicable to all sectors in the working environment including government. Our inspectors are working around the clock to inform and enforce compliance across the province, and the department urges all employers to ensure that they comply with the Act to prevent business interruptions.

Ramusi said Inspectors are expected to protect vulnerable communities and as a province, we are elated to see them assisting the community as required by the legislation.

Source: Government of South Africa

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Construction on R100m skills development centre in KZN to commence

Higher Education and Training Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, is expected to mark the beginning of construction of the KwaMpumuza Skills Development Centre in Elandskop, Pietermaritzburg, with a sod turning ceremony on Friday.

The R105 million project is the first intra-SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) collaboration infrastructure project undertaken by the Construction Education & Training Authority (CETA) and Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA).

According to the department, the lack of training facilities to produce artisans in KwaZulu-Natal has been identified as a collaborative opportunity, which has resulted in the CETA collaborating with W&RSETA to build a skills development centre (SDC).

The project will benefit the community of Vulindlela and rural communities in the surrounding areas, particularly the youth.

“Construction of Phase 1 of the project is estimated to be completed in 2024 and about 175 jobs will be created during construction,” the department said.

The centre will be constructed on a 27 hectare piece of land and comprise an administration block; retail business hub; engineering and CETA-related trades workshops fully equipped for technical training (trade test centre); an agricultural hub for training, warehousing, farming, agro-processing and retail.

It will include three lecture rooms; two sick bays/rooms; a cooking/hospitality trades, hair and beauty workshop; storerooms; 150-seater multi-purpose hall; ablution facilities including a septic sanitation system; roads and storm water infrastructure; parking and landscaping as well as bulk services.

In terms of the sustainability of the project, the department said many amenities are planned around the site, including human settlements, a small dairy operation and a shopping centre.

“SMMEs (Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises) will be trained through the incubation programme and the farming and agro processing will be housed within the facilities of this SDC.

“Additionally, the college plans a multi-purpose centre, which will generate income for the centre. Students will receive practical training and graduates from uMgungundlovu Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College will be part of the staff complement,” the department said.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube, uMgungundlovu District Mayor Mzi Zuma and Msunduzi Municipality Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla are also expected to attend the event.

Representatives from the CETA and W&RSETA Board will also be among the dignitaries.

Source: South African Government News Agency