The Committee was concerned that the staff at the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE) feared for their job security in relation to the envisaged university in Kimberley. Of great concern to the Committee was that majority of employees at NIHE were under the impression that once the envisaged university was functional, NIHE would be disestablished. The Committee recently passed the Higher Education and Training Laws Amendment Bill [B23-12] which aimed to strengthen the role and function of NIHE. Failure by the Department to keep NIHE abreast regarding the developments of the envisaged university contributed to the high staff turnover and low moral among employees of NIHE.