These are the architects of the mess that they left in Tshwane with GladAfrica [Laughter.] where I come from. Karl Marx, the highly- esteemed German philosopher, historian, political theorist and socialist revolutionary writes:
The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.
The longest-serving President of the ANC, comrade O R Tambo said at the funeral of one of the most illustrious sons of the struggle, comrade Joe Gqabi that:
The future is bright. The end is glorious; it is peaceful. But the intervening period is dark, bitter and finds its glory in the act of struggle.
To whom does such a future and vision of President O R - as he was affectionately known - belong? I dare say that it belongs to
those who dare dream, and to a nation which educates and develops its young. For a nation that does not invest adequately in the education of its young people will pay the dividends in the lack of development and growth, and sheer stagnation in the future.
We are a nation steeped in a dark history of a draconian system of repressive laws that dehumanised the vast majority of the native people of this country. The reach of the tentacles of the system have managed to go beyond the advent of the democratic order with its vestiges in the higher education system, and remain a glaring challenge that this sixth administration needs to demolish in order to reverse the legacy of the past; a legacy of skewed development and investment in the education of one race more than in those of all others. It is that legacy that we contend with today and whose negative effects we must reverse, if we are to be a nation that achieves its developmental goals.
However, we are a resilient nation which emerged from the dark throngs of apartheid stronger with a hope of a brighter future for all and a united people with a common vision of a
prosperous, nonracial and nonsexist country. This is the lofty ideal that the ANC-led government seeks to attain. Fellow South Africans, this budget seeks to act as the microcosm in the wheel of change in the world of higher education and training as we know it.
This budget must be an agent of change in advancing our struggle for an accessible, inclusive, equitable and successful higher education and training sector in our country. It must speak to the imperative of transformation in the sector in order to locate squarely in its agenda the ideals of redress, social justice and the restoration and preservation human dignity. This budget should be able to propel us forward towards the future we have envisioned as a country to enable us to compete at the highest level internationally.
Chairperson, the Medium-Term Strategic Framework, MTSF states that the National Development Plan envisages that by 2030 South Africans should have access to education and training of the highest quality. The education, training and innovation system should cater for different needs and produce highly-skilled
individuals. The graduates of the post-school system should have adequate skills and knowledge to meet the current and future needs of the economy and society.
One of the greatest challenges facing the envisioned goal as articulated in the MTSF is the level of access to institutions of higher learning that poor and marginalised students who meet the minimum requirements of admission face. It goes without saying that a child from the rural KwaZulu- Natal insurmountable challenges to have a conducive learning environment without the intervention of government to ensure the same. Although such a student may gain access to the learning institution through academic excellence, other challenges remain, such as inadequate student accommodation.
Chairperson, the 2010 Report on the Ministerial Committee for the Review of the Provision of Student Housing at SA Universities makes the following observation: "The demand for student housing far outstrips supply." It continues to make the observation that:
Nationally, the racial demographic profile of the student provided accommodation is close to that of the national demographic. As might be expected, there are more female than male students accommodated.
These facts can only allude to the reality that many students from rural areas which are further away from these institutions of higher learning are most likely to decline an admission due a lack of any accommodation in close proximity to the learning campus or the inability to afford such accommodation. That child from rural KwaZulu-Natal, who meets the minimum requirements for admission, may currently be prejudiced due to a lack of access created by inadequate student housing.
In his state of the nation address in February, President Ramaphosa made a commitment that government has committed to contribute R100 billion into the Infrastructure Fund over the next 10 years. As a first step, we will expand projects underway already, such as student accommodation. We welcome the commitment made by the President as a step in the right direction in addressing the backlog of student housing needs in
higher education sector. However, we acknowledge that a lot still needs to be done.
The backlog in 2012 was estimated to require a staggering
R147 billion to address over 15 years. A battle that requires a multilateral approach to resolve and a full basket of solutions provided by the coming together of various partners in the public and the private sector. We welcome the R2,8 billion budgeted for infrastructure and efficiency needs for Programme 3: University Education in the 2019-20 financial year, and R120 million intended for addressing student housing challenges at Nelson Mandela University, Sefako Makgatho University and Vaal University of Technology
Expensive, conducive student accommodation also remains a challenge. Unsafe living conditions due to unregulated student housing provided by private parties remains a challenge. Many students who reside in townships as backyard tenants have become walking targets to petty criminals due to the distances they have to walk sometimes at night coming from studying on campus because the rooms they occupy are not conducive for learning.
Chairperson, the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training envisages student accommodation that is characterised by places for learning as well as rest and recreation, and should have facilities to encourage study activity. Where institutions are in close proximity to one another, the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology will seriously consider the possibility of establishing student villages to accommodate students from different institutions, colleges or universities. Student accommodation should be more than just a bed, but a place that enables learning to take place without hindrances, and this current administration has taken that seriously, going forward. [Applause.]
Chairperson, as part of the multilateral basket of solutions, collaboration between the Department of Human Settlements and the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology in rolling out accommodation for the entire sector is recommended, and will be carried through by this coming administration. As resolved by the 54th National Conference of the ANC we dare state.
The Gauteng provincial government signed the declaration ... We support the budget, hon Minister. [Time expired.] [Applause.]