FET Colleges

Scant budgetary increase is blow to skills development and job creation

The announcement by the Department of Higher Education and Training that FET colleges should plan for no increase in the number of enrolments for 2011, and a scant 4.5% increase in their budget, is a severe blow for skills development and job creation. Given salary increases of 7.5% for educators, it is likely to result in a drop in the number of staff that FET colleges can employ, and the number of learners who can be trained. This cannot be allowed to happen. The DA calls on minister Nzimande to disband the wasteful and corrupt SETA system and rather use the billions allocated to these institutions to improve funding for FET colleges.

It is generally accepted that South Africa faces a major skills shortage. This has been cited as one of the main reasons for our failure to attain the targeted growth rate of 6% per annum. Yet the number of apprentices and students passing trade tests has been dropping consistently over the last two decades. The major reforms in training since the promulgation of the Skills Development Act in 1998 have not improved the situation. In many cases they have had a net negative effect. Capping FET college funding, and decreasing enrolments, will only worsen the skills shortage.

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Health MEC must quit

THE DA is calling for Eastern Cape Health MEC Phumulo Masualle to step down because the health budget was overspent on entertainment, travel expenditure and accommodation for officials.

DA MPL Pine Pienaar said: “Accruals are at R500-million, irregular expenditure at R84-million, fruitless expenditure at R17-million, unauthorised expenditure of R776-million has been incurred, an overdraft exists of R450- million and about R800- million has been spent on erroneous OSD (Occupation Specific Dispensation) and HROPT (Human Resource Operating Team) payments.”

EU Education Grant

 R1.1 billion grant means fewer excuses for Department of Education

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomed the European Union’s (EU) decision to support South Africa’s struggling basic education system with a grant of R1.1 billion over the next three years. This level of generosity suggests that the EU understood just how weak our education system was, and that it was keen to see us make progress in this area. Of course, with this windfall comes great responsibility, said Donald Smiles MP, Shadow Deputy Minister of Basic Education

Quote of the Week

"In Johannesburg, the Red Ants – the nickname given to the security firm the ANC employs to demolish illegally erected shacks – have gained notoriety for the brutal way they go about their business. Such is their reputation for ruthlessness that the DA decided not to employ their services in Cape Town.”


Helen Zille in her recent SA Today, “A new political hit squad”

Teaching temps given a reprieve

The EC Department of Education has backtracked on its decision to terminate the contracts of temporary teachers in the province, citing “humanitarian concerns”.

In a statement, Edmund van Vuuren, the DA’s provincial spokesperson for education, said the DA maintained that the inhumane and authoritarian decision to terminate contracts before the end of the term went against best practices for quality teaching and learning.

Nasionale Gesondheidsversekering: DA vra volle besonderhede

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Die Demokratiese Alliansie (DA) het ’n beroep op dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, die Minister van Gesondheid, gedoen om volledige besonderhede van die program vir die Nasionale Gesondheidsversekering (NGV) onmiddellik aan die publiek bekend te stel. Indien nie, moet die voorstel teruggetrek word totdat die besonderhede behoorlik verduidelik kan word.

Mike Waters LP, die skaduminister van gesondheid, sê die besonderhede wat bekend gemaak is, is vaag. Die ware, spesifieke besonderhede van die program is steeds duister.

Waters voeg by dat die Portefeuljekomitees op Gesondheid en Finansies by die proses betrek moet word. Parlementariërs, onafhanklike navorsers, nie-regeringsorganisasies en gewone burgers het ’n reg om die besonderhede van die voorstelle onder oë te kry, en dan daaroor debat te voer, sê hy.

Waters kritiseer die huidige toestand, en sê ’n potensiële groot opknapping van die stelsel vir openbare gesondheid word agter geslote deurE uitgevoer. In wese is dit ’n ondemokratiese en ondeursigtige manier van doen.

Waters spreek sy kommer uit oor die finansieringsberekenings waarmee die taakspan vorendag gekom het. Hy sê verskeie ander organisasies het berekenings gemaak wat op veel hoër kostes dui.

Lande met meer die drie maal Suid-Afrika se BBP sukkel met die finansies vir die inwerkingstelling van die soort stelsel wat blykbaar beoog word, sê Waters. Hy wys daarop dat die regering nie eens akkurate syfers het vir hoeveel spesialiste in die openbare sektor werk, of hoeveel die individuele dienste wat hy lewer, kos nie. Tensy daar ’n stelsel is om dié syfers te bepaal, is dit moeilik om vas te stel of die ANC se syfers akkuraat is, sê Waters.

Die DA stem met die ANC saam dat die stelsel vir openbare gesondheid dringend reggeruk moet word, want die huidige stelsel stort inmekaar. Waters sê bewyse dui op drie groot probleme in die gesondheidstelsel:

Verwydering van die onverklaarbare belemmerings vir die opleiding van professionele mediese personeel. Dit behels onder meer die verbod op die opleiding van geneeshere in die private sektor asook kwotas ten opsigte van die opleiding van verpleegsters deur die private sektor, en die heropening van verpleegsterskolleges wat in die jare negentig gesluit is.

Daar is steeds groot probleme met hospitale se vermoë en doeltreffendheid, en veral hul bestuurders. Die aanstelling van hospitaalbestuurders op grond van begunstiging eerder as geskiktheid vir die doel, belemmer die voorsiening van gesondheidsorg van gehalte in openbare instellings, sê Waters.

Die burokratiese en oudmodiese stelsel vir hospitaalbestuur moet verander word om hospitale se bestuur die gesag te gee om hul werk te doen. Basiese werksaamhede soos personeel-aanstellings moet veel minder rompslomp behels, sê hy.

Waters sê die DA steun sommige aspekte van die voorstelle, soos verpligte bydraes tot mediese dekking vir mense wat in diens is.

Quote of the Week

“We know that growing support for the DA depends on how well we perform – in opposition and in government. We sometimes must take tough decisions, but when we do so it is because our policies must work to create a context for job creation, service delivery, better education and health care. And we must at all times defend the constitution and the rule of law. These are the issues on which the voters should assess political parties and base their choice.”

Helen Zille in her recent SA Today, “ANC's fears are a sign our democracy is maturing”