PROGRESS REPORT ON MIGRATION OF AGRICULTURAL AND NURSING COLLEGES FROM PROVINCES TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING 1 Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training 09 September 2015

2 Vision and Mandate of the Department of Higher Education and Training To develop an expanded single, coherent, differentiated and highly articulated post-school education and training system. The Department was established to enable the coherent and well-articulated offering of higher education, vocational education and skills development through a variety of post-school institutions. 2

3 Schedule 4 of the South African Constitution (Act No 108 of 1996) States that all tertiary education should be a national competence However, a number of public institutions offering formal higher education and training qualifications remain outside the Department's responsibility. This poses a risk to the coherence of post-school education and training These institutions include public Agricultural and Nursing colleges 3

4 Agricultural Colleges Cabinet approved the Mangaung resolution in March 2014 indicating that Agricultural Colleges should be transferred to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and that a process be initiated to give effect to this resolution. Public Agricultural Colleges are of high strategic importance to the developmental state and economy – need effective governance and management of Agricultural Colleges and quality outputs There are 11 Agricultural Colleges located across 7 provinces and the 12 th college, Lowveld College of Agriculture (LCA) was incorporated into the University of Mpumalanga 4

5 Agricultural Colleges Colleges offer a mix of higher education programmes, i.e: higher certificates, diplomas and degrees, some technical and vocational education and training as well as skills programmes. However, they are currently governed under the functional areas of concurrent national and provincial legislative competence (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and its provincial counterparts). Regular engagements with DAFF to facilitate migration. Cabinet has approved that a Joint Technical Task Team (JTTT) be set up to advise the Ministers of Higher Education and Training, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on the implications of the incorporation of the Agricultural Colleges into the higher education sector under the governance of DHET 5

6 The scope of work of the Joint Technical Task Team Considering all documentation; Recognising DAFF’s review of the Agriculture Education and Training Strategy and governance; Formulating a Proclamation that gives the authority to execute the function shift; Conducting a due diligence on all sites of delivery; Conducting a situational analysis to determine the current strengths and weaknesses of the colleges; Identifying an appropriate governance, academic and institutional model for the future functioning of the Agricultural Colleges; 6

7 The scope of work of the Joint Technical Task Team determining the funding requirements and to ensure that funding follows function developing the migration process, operation and communication plan and strategy addressing the transitional arrangements as well as implementation of the transfer function developing a change management strategy in terms of the legal requirements developing a comprehensive action plan for the work of the JTTT that will provide timelines and actions for the processes identified. 7

8 The Terms of Reference of the Joint Technical Task Team The Terms of Reference of the JTTT will further be facilitated by the formation of support structures and governance processes to manage the work of the JTTT: Establishment of a Steering Committee that will provide strategic leadership and management oversight of the JTTT; the services of a Technical Assistance Unit to assist in the facilitation of the process; and communication to the MINTEC (Heads of Departments), MINMEC (Ministers and MECs) and provincial Agricultural Colleges. 8

9 Establishment of the Steering Committee to oversee the function shift of Agricultural Colleges; to provide leadership to the planning of the function shift; and to engage with all relevant interested and affected stakeholders and with the responsibility for oversight of project activities. The Steering Committee will meet quarterly and the JTTT will meet more often depending on their focus areas. The Steering Committee will provide the respective Directors-General of the DHET and DAFF quarterly reports on progress made and through the respective DGs inform their Ministers on an on-going basis. 9

10 Purpose of the Steering Committee Finalisation of the draft Terms of Reference for the DAFF/DHET Joint Technical Task Team Coordination and alignment of strategic and operational initiative Consideration of a clear communication strategy in order for the provinces and DAFF to continue to govern the colleges Consideration of a change management strategy in terms of the legal process Consideration of the Report as compiled by the JTTT Providing advice to the Directors-General of DAFF and DHET 10

11 Membership of the Steering Committee Co-chaired by the Deputy Directors-General: University Education (DHET) and Food Security and Agrarian Reform (DAFF) Includes a Chief Director from each Department; Chief Directors responsible for Legal Services and Communication from both Departments; National Treasury; Two representatives from Provincial Departments of Agriculture; One representative from the Association of Principals of Agriculture colleges; and The Financial and Fiscal Commission (FFC). 11

12 Progress made Roadmap has been developed to steer the planning activities through various phases with the following deliverables: To determine the implications of incorporating the Agricultural Colleges into Higher Education Develop models to be considered in the PSET framework; Identify mechanisms to be established to ensure collaboration in terms of skills development and curriculum development; and To determine the requirements of the transitional arrangements 12

13 Progress made The JTTT has been set up with expertise in Academic Planning, Human Resources, Governance and Policy as well as Legal. A meeting still to be arranged between the respective Directors-General for a briefing. It is foreseen that the first report on the academic model will be available at the end of March 2016 which will inform the possible governance, management and legal implications. 13

14 Nursing Colleges Current health context of our country: South Africa has a quadruple burden of disease compared to other countries high prevalence of HIV South Africa's nurse-based healthcare system requires nurses to have the competence and expertise to manage the country's burden of disease and meet South Africa's healthcare needs. The primary aim of nursing education and training is to provide adequate numbers of competent, service oriented and career focussed nurses to meet the health needs of the country. 14

15 Nursing Colleges Nursing education and training programmes should be harmonised with health service delivery needs The Minister of Health appointed a Ministerial Task Team on Nurse Education and Training with the purpose of: refining the recommendations contained in the Nursing Compact; and to develop a plan of action to address both education, training and practice issues relating to the nursing profession. 15

16 Nursing Colleges Strategic Plan for Nursing Education, Training and Practice 2012/ /17 (National Department of Health) makes key recommendations on nursing education. One recommendation was on the need for Nursing Colleges (NCs) to be declared higher education institutions, in compliance with the provisions of the Higher Education Act (Act 101 of 1997 as amended in 2008). A failure to do so would result in NCs being unable to continue offering nursing education and training at NQF Level-5 and higher beyond 30 June 2013, which was the previous South African Nursing Council (SANC) deadline for the interim registration of higher education qualification. 16

17 Nursing Colleges The Ministerial Task Team recommended that Nursing Education and Training be regarded as a national competency accounting directly to the Director-General of the Department of Health which will address provincial inequalities, decrease fragmentation, improve clinical training, enhance social accountability, eliminate ‘fly by night’ nursing training institutions and improve quality through setting of national norms and standards for nursing education. However, the overall mandate of training and education is with the Minister of Higher Education and Training. 17

18 Progress made There has been various engagements between the National Departments of Health, and Higher Education and Training to facilitate a discussion and initiate a process with the intention to reach an agreement between the Ministers on the proposed strategy for the migration of public NCs from a provincial to a national competency under the National Department of Health (NDoH). Explored other options or arrangements besides the incorporation of colleges into the higher education sector - to approve that NCs as a national competency, be mandated under the National Department of Health, but in direct collaboration with universities, that are national competencies under DHET. 18

19 Progress made This approach which explored other options was agreed upon in the meeting between the NDoH, DHET and South African Nursing Council (SANC) on 8 September Collective collaboration at two levels: Firstly at a national level between the DHET and NDOH through the offices of the respective Deputy Directors-General Secondly at an institutional level between individual universities and Nursing Colleges councils, based on formal Memoranda of Understanding The Provincial Departments of Health remain responsible for the provision and maintenance of the clinical training platforms. 19

20 Progress made It was decided that the NDoH: Should conduct a capacity audit of all the public Nursing Education Institutions Determine the state of readiness of NCs to meeting national quality assurance standards Conduct a mapping exercise by region of all NCs to inform determination of collaboration with universities It was also decided that the SANC postpones the final teach-out date of bridging programmes to at least 2018 and communicate this to the sector, and that a strategic planning session be organised in which the sector’s stakeholders will be informed on how to proceed forward. 20

21 Progress made DHET is currently conducting a feasibility study on the migration of Nursing Colleges through documentation analysis which will advise the Minister of Higher Education and Training once completed. to inform the Ministers of Higher Education and Training, and Health on the implications of shifting the Nursing Colleges to a national competence either under the mandate of the DHET or NDoH. Following this, there will be a meeting between the two Ministers to agree on a way forward. 21

Thank you 22 Thank You