The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) on Thursday outlined its plans to breathe new life into South Africa’s post-schooling sector through the adoption of a recently launched White Paper.

The department planned to expand the capacity of, access to, and the quality of South Africa’s higher education institutions to absorb the about three-million youth currently not employed or undergoing some form of training or education.

The post-school education and training White Paper, themed around building an expanded, effective and integrated post-school system, had been in the works since the formation of the department in 2009.

Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Blade Nzimande published the preceding Green Paper in January 2012 and the department has officially adopted the plan following Cabinet’s approval of the revised White Paper in November last year.

The policy set out a vision of a single, coordinated, fair, equitable, nonracial and nonsexist post-school system with expanded access, improved quality and increased diversity by 2030.

Nzimande said, despite gains being made in the rapid expansion of enrolments in universities and colleges, quality improvements in parts of the system, more integration and the increasing number of opportunities for black and woman students, South Africa still had a post-school education and training system that failed to offer sufficient places to the many youth and adults seeking education and training.

“The system needs to expand, both in terms of numbers of available places and types of education and training available, to cater for the needs of those not in employment, education or training, as well as to cater for the needs of an economy that must enhance its skills levels to grow and to provide the high-level research and innovation required by a modern economy,” he said.

While the White Paper pertained to all the institutions under its purview, which included public universities; public adult learning centres (PALCs) – the sector education and training authority and National Skills Fund – and the regulatory bodies responsible for qualifications and quality assurance in the post-school system, the DHET narrowed its focus to one of its top priorities – 50 further education and training colleges, which have been renamed technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges.

“The DHET’s highest priority is to strengthen and expand the public TVET colleges,” Nzimande said, outlining plans to strengthen the colleges, increase access to and improve teaching and learning at the institutions.

The department aimed to have 2.5-million students enrolled in public TVET colleges by 2030. In 2013, there were over 650 000 students registered at public higher education institutions – nearly double the enrolment rate of 2010.

Further, by 2030, private TVET and other higher education institutions would have an enrolment of about 500 000, while participation rates at universities were expected to increase from just over 937 000 students in 2011 to about 1.6-million during the same period.

The White Paper also indicated the establishment of community colleges to build on and absorb the role and offerings of the existing PALCs and link directly with the work of public programmes, such as the expanded public works programme, community works programme and others.

These colleges, which targeted an enrolment of one-million by 2030, compared with 265 000 in the PALCs in 2011, were expected to cater for youth and adults who did not complete their schooling or who never attended school, and did not qualify to study at TVET colleges and universities.

An overarching institution would be established to support, monitor and evaluate TVET and community colleges, as well as develop innovative curricula for the colleges.

The South African Institute for Vocational and Continuing Education and Training would also be responsible for upgrading the technical knowledge and pedagogical skills of existing staff of TVET and community colleges, and promoting the professionalisation of lecturers, instructors and trainers.

The unit’s scope of work would also include the provision of a forum for experts to develop materials for programmes employed by TVET and community colleges and advise the Minister on vocational and continuing education, besides others.

The DHET said the White Paper called for the improvement of quality and the building of appropriate diversity at universities, as well as the "improvement of articulation" among higher education institutions, universities and other post-school institutions.

Meanwhile, the DHET would “make a concerted effort” to coordinate, centralise and extend the currently inaccurate, incomplete and scattered available data on private post-school institutions. The department would also undertake a review of the regulation and quality assurance of the public institutions.

The department would also develop a strategic policy framework to guide the improvement of access to and increase the rate of success in post-school education and training for people with disabilities, while working toward creating a post-school distance education landscape based on open learning principles.

The White Paper planned to link education and the workplace with the design of training systems, including curricula, which required close cooperation between education and training providers and employers.