2020-w3002 - 17 December 2020

Hannah Shameema Winkler to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

With reference to the reply to question 2458 on 9 November 2020, what are the reasons that Esayidi Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVET) College received no funding for laptops considering that most of the attendant students hail from rural areas and impoverished circumstances and thus have limited to no access to resources to continue their academic work during the COVID-19 lockdown period; (2) whether he has been informed that Esayidi TVET students have not received laptops; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, on what date will Esayidi TVET receive funding for (a) data and (b) laptops?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 17 Dec 2020

(1) The Department has not received any funding from the National Treasury to provide laptops to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students. NSFAS has advised that there are savings from previous years of unutilised bursary funding that will cover the cost of laptops for NSFAS recipients in TVET colleges. The procurement of laptops by NSFAS is still underway and it is ...

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2020-w2717 - 09 December 2020

Baxolile Babongile Nodada to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

(1)With reference to the 20 000 students who were affected by the hand of god during the 2019 application process for assistance by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, what is the total (a) number of students who have not been paid due to technical reasons in 2020, (b) amount that the errors amounted to and (c) number of students who dropped out of tertiary institutions because of the technical malfunction; (2) whether any measures have been put in place to assist the specified students; if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 9 Dec 2020

(1) This matter relates to 28 552 records that were withdrawn by the errant code in question. These applications were linked to 11 572 applicants during the 2020 application cycle, as the system allowed the applicant to submit more than one application.

(a) Not applicable.

(b) Not applicable.

(c) Currently of these 11 572 applicants, 10 461 applicants have a funded status and 1 ...

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2020-w2719 - 09 December 2020

Baxolile Babongile Nodada to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

What is the (a) latest staff headcount of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), (b) total amount of approved positions in 2020, (c) number of clients that NSFAS has and (d) staff-to-client ratio that is taken into consideration when increasing staff?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 9 Dec 2020

(a) The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) headcount as at 31 October 2020 is 448 employees.

(b) In 2020, there are 448 approved positions in the NSFAS organogram. 89 Vacancies were approved for filling. These included critical technical and specialist vacancies, including appointments to vacant positions arising out of resignations and other staff exits.

(c) TVET Colleges: 270 048 students

University: 497 822 ...

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2020-w2796 - 03 December 2020

Manuel Simão Franca De Freitas to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

(1)With reference to the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority and the online management system, (a) what are the reasons that a new system has not gone live to date and (b) on what date will registration commence; (2) what (a) information and data protection processes and mechanisms are in place that meets the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000, and (b) are the reasons that these are not operable; (3) (a) what are the reasons that some legacy learner registrations reflect as new registrations and vice versa and (b) on what date will this be fixed; (4) what (a) is the turn-around time for learner approvals and (b) are the reasons that (i) a high number of approvals is pending and (ii) learners need to be approved in the first instance; (5) what are the reasons that an applicant’s identity number is not used to ascertain their age?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 3 Dec 2020

The following responses were received from the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA).

(1) (a)    The system was implemented in the following phases:

- Human Resource Management modules commenced on 1 August 2019

- Finance module commenced on 1 September 2019

- Skills Development modules commenced on 1 August 2020

- Supply Chain Management module commenced on 1 November ...

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2020-w2718 - 03 December 2020

Baxolile Babongile Nodada to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

What were the job requirements for the position of Governance Risk and Compliance executive at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 3 Dec 2020

The following are the job requirements for the Governance Risk and Compliance Executive at the National Student Finance Aid Scheme.

Minimum

  • An undergraduate qualification and a postgraduate qualification (NQF 8) in Commerce, Business Management or related fields.
  • A solid understanding of governance risk and compliance processes and technology with demonstrated expertise and experience including strong governance, regulatory compliance, and enterprise risk management.
  • At least ...
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2020-w2795 - 03 December 2020

Manuel Simão Franca De Freitas to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

(1)With reference to the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority and the online management system, (a) what are the reasons that a new system was implemented and (b) on what date did the new system commence; (2) (a) to whom was the tender awarded to operate and maintain the new system, (b) how were they selected, (c) what criteria were used to select them and (d) what are the terms and conditions set out in the tender; (3) (a) what are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that have to be met in each month, (b) what are the specified KPIs measured that are used to in each case and (c) how are the penalties that are imposed if KPIs are not met and (d) what criteria are used to terminate the tender?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 3 Dec 2020

The following responses were received from the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA).

(1) (a) The aim was to deploy an integrated system that will assist in integrating and automating most of CATHSSETA’s processes to eliminate duplication of efforts, improve business efficiency, comply with legislation and government policies, and promote good governance. The integrated modules of the system ...

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2020-w2672 - 16 November 2020

Wynand Johannes Boshoff to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

(1)Whether he has been informed of the alleged financial mismanagement and/or irregularities connected to a certain company (name furnished) which was funded by the Department of Science and Technology; if not, why not; if so, (a) what action has he taken in this regard and (b) will he investigate the specified matter; (2) whether he will make a statement on the matter?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 16 Nov 2020

1. The Department was alerted of alleged financial mismanagement related to the Aeroswift 3D printing project.

a) The Department allowed the CSIR Board, as prior recipient of the alleged financial mismanagement, to deal with the matter.

b) The Department will not investigate the matter.

The Department had allowed the CSIR board to investigate the allegations.

2. The Minister might make a statement on the ...

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2020-w2532 - 09 November 2020

Sibongiseni Ngcobo to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

(1)What total number of graduates have been retained by their respective host institutions since the National Research Fund internship programme of the Department of Science and Innovation commenced; (2) whether he has the statistical data on the number of graduates who have been able to find employment once the internship ended; if not, what is the position in this regard, if so, what is the data of (a) how long it took for graduates to gain employment and (b) the terms of their (i) permanent and/or (ii) contract employment; (3) whether there are any obligations placed on the host institutions and mentors to facilitate formal skills training during the programme to enhance the chances of the graduates to gain employment once their internship is completed; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details; (4) with the 2020-21 cohort of graduates, what support mechanisms are in place to ensure that students obtain their qualifications within the two-year period?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 9 Nov 2020

1. Interns that participated in the Programme have been absorbed for employment by various sectors, as depicted in Figure 1 below. Data on the retention of interns for employment by their respective hosts has not been collected. The Department has commissioned an impact study that will provide more information on the retention of interns by their hosts and their career progression. The study will ...

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2020-w2300 - 27 October 2020

Sibongiseni Ngcobo to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

(1)In view of the series of student deaths that have occurred at the University of Fort Hare (details furnished), which seem to be reflective of broader trends in the higher education sector, what immediate steps has his department taken in response to the tragic state of affairs; (2) whether there are systems in place to monitor universities and colleges’ level of compliance with legal investigations following the death of a student; if not, what steps does his department intend to take to remedy the situation; if so, what are the relevant details of the monitoring systems?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 27 Oct 2020

1. The University of Fort Hare (UFH) experiences a significant number of student deaths each year. The University keeps a record of all student deaths, although not all deaths occur on campus or while students are at the University. The causes of death include natural causes (illness), car accidents, suicides, and/or violent deaths as a result of stabbing or assault. In 2019, a student drowned ...

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2020-w2166 - 21 October 2020

Thandiswa Linnen Marawu to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology

Whether he is aware of the alleged flouting of Covid-19 regulations and the Continuing Education and Training (CET) Act, Act 16 of 2006, at the Motheo Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College in Bloemfontein, as per the whistleblowers’ report to the College Council Chairperson; if not, what steps will he take to thoroughly investigate the matter; if so, what steps have been taken to ensure that the specified persons are brought to book?

Reply from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology on 21 Oct 2020

According to Mrs D Phutsisi, Principal of Motheo TVET College, the college is not aware of a whistle blower who raised such allegations to the Council Chairperson. If these allegations were made, the Council as the highest decision-making governance structure would have followed the college policy on whistleblowing. The college’s Executive Management however brought an anonymous letter to the attention of Council that was ...

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