Whether his department has continued efforts to promote the integration of languages other than English to be considered as viable for usage as alternative languages of academia in institutions of higher learning; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

(1) What (a) is the total number of applications for admission that have been received by each university thus far, (b) number of new students will be accepted by each university and (c) will be the effect of the budget cuts be on the intake of students in various universities; (2) (a) what plans have been put in place to ensure that all students who want to study are admitted in the next academic year and (b) on what date will all closed colleges of higher learning opened in order to ease the burden on universities? NW5798E

NATIONAL AConsidering that COVID-19 has become a scapegoat for the little to no progress made by his department on issues relating to the duplication of funding, what are the (a) reasons that sector and education training authorities (SETAs) do not have to adhere to the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, and (b) relevant details of the processes of awarding funding to students in SETAs in comparison to technical vocational education and training colleges? NW5434ESSEMBLY FOR WRITTEN REPLY QUESTION 4318 DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 18/11/2022 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 49 OF 2022 Mr S S Zondo (IFP) to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation: Considering that COVID-19 has become a scapegoat for the little to no progress made by his department on issues relating to the duplication of funding, what are the (a) reasons that sector and education training authorities (SETAs) do not have to adhere to the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, and (b) relevant details of the processes of awarding funding to students in SETAs in comparison to technical vocational education and training colleges? NW5434EREPLY: (a) SETAs, as schedule 3A entities are not exempted from the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act, Act No 1 of 1999 (the PFMA) and other related prescripts. Consequently, where non-compliance with the PFMA is brought to the Department, such matters are attended to, in compliance with the provisions of the PFMA and other applicable legislation. Amongst other things, intervention measures that are implemented by the Department entail directing all SETAs to develop and submit audit action plans to the Department in cases where the Auditor-General South Africa has made audit findings. The Department’s intervention in addressing non-compliance is not limited to the above as each case of non-compliance is handled based on its merit. Additionally, to strengthen governance and improve compliance with the PFMA by the entities, the Department also organises regular meetings with the Chief Financial Officers of the entities (including the SETA’s) to discuss, among other things, PFMA compliance issues. The last meeting was held on 18 November 2022 with the Chief Financial Officers from all entities. (b) All SETAs develop Sector Skills Plans, which amongst others identify scarce or critical skills or occupations in high demand in their sectors; to address the required skills or occupations, in their sectors, SETAs would identify the required learning programmes, which includes amongst others: providing the bursaries, subsequently Memorandum of Agreements will be entered with the institutions of higher learning. SETAs allocate funding to students in accordance to their grant regulations

(a) Which steps of intervention have been taken to ensure that the Northern Cape Urban Technical and Vocational Education and Training College carries through the court ruling to uphold the law and protect the rights of workers and (b) by what date will he intervene and ensure that this suffices? NW5696E

Whether he will furnish Ms N I Tarabella Marchesi with an organogram of all the technical vocational education and training colleges; if so, on what date?

Whether, with reference to the recommendations made to the University of Stellenbosch in the Khampepe Report into allegations of racism at the specified university, his department has any plans in place to convert some of the specified recommendations into best practice guidelines for all universities; if not, why not; if so, how will the first-year welcoming programmes at universities be tailored to incorporate the considerations included in the specified report?

Whether, considering his department’s reported concerns about matters of governance at the University of Cape Town (UCT), following widespread media reports about UCT's governance controversies, he will furnish Mr S S Zondo with an update and/or details on the (a) specified governance controversies and (b) expected report from the university’s Council; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

(a) Which institutions of higher learning had ombudsman and (b) what are the details of investigative reports were presented to the various university councils between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2021?

Whether the constant imposition of administrators at institutions of higher learning that are plagued by governance issues has assisted in the governance and operational functions of the affected institutions; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, in what areas of governance has the improvement occurred?

What (a) steps has he taken to recoup the R5 billion meant for youth skills development that has allegedly gone missing and (b) plans have been put in place to ensure that negligence and corruption of this nature no longer takes place?