The Department is preparing for next year's academic period for higher learning institutions and skills development expansion planning in various ways. The details of preparations are provided below:

1. Enrolments for the 2024 academic year

The enrolment applications for TVET colleges for the 2024 academic year opened on 1 September 2023. All TVET colleges will use online application system to enrol new and returning ...

The Independent Assessor’ s report is lengthy (316 pages) and makes reference to the following concerns, amongst others:

• Governance Structures: Council functioning found not to be optimal with an outdated statute, bloated committee structure and excessive meetings over the years. The student governance model found not to be optimal with an outdated SRC Constitution, SRC structure not fit for purpose, the centralised model ...

1. There have been some calls for the Act to be reviewed, particularly in the context of governance challenges over the years. Some of the issues and proposals are as follows:

• The current Act is seen to limit the framing of the Code of Conduct of councils to principles and practices for avoiding conflicts of interest. Provisions for Council to discipline members for misconduct ...

The Independent Assessor Reports over the years have highlighted a number of factors that contribute to governance failures. These range from the inability of councils, and in some cases the chairperson and deputy chairperson in particular, to provide strategic leadership and direction resulting in the abdication of its responsibilities to the Management; role confusion and contestation; fraught relationships between Council and Management; the phenomenon ...

(1) (a) My Department, which is the Department of Higher Education and Training, has identified nine (9) illegal institutions of higher learning in the past financial year and (b) all 9 of them were closed down because they were (i) (aa) operating without registration with the Department as either Private Higher Education Institutions in terms of the Higher Education (HE) Act 101 of 1997 ...

The strategic interventions put in place by the Minister to combat gender violence and femicide in the sector include the publication of the Policy Framework to address Gender-Based Violence in the Post-School Education and Training System. The framework compels all PSET institutions to raise awareness about GBV; prevent the occurrence of GBV; and support survivors by having procedures for reporting and dealing with GBV. ...

I have shared the Report with the Council of the University, as required by the Higher Education Act No 101 of 1997 as amended; and requested the Council to respond to the findings and recommendations of the Report.

I will then consider the response of the Council; and decide on the appropriate action as provided for and guided by the Higher Education Act, considering ...

The Department of Higher Education and Training (the Department) has been working towards finding mechanisms to address the scourge of violence on campuses. The work on the development of safety and security blueprint for universities which will serve as a framework for universities to have minimum norms and standards on the provision of safety and security measures at the universities is underway. The department ...

The Department of Higher Education and Training always engages with university management teams, Student representative Councils (SRC), South African Union of Students (SAUS) and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to resolve genuine student concerns raised with me and the Department. Some of these discussions’ pre-date the registration period as challenges is experienced during registration period. The Minister holds meetings with Vice-Chancellor (through ...