Chairperson, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members and guests, Azapo will judge the budget presented by the Minister today considering the extent to which it will strengthen the sector. There is a need to strengthen the management of FET colleges. Some have been running with vacant positions in management. There are colleges that have principals or chief executive officers but no senior management. This is a situation that has to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Hon Minister, you mention job creation, but vacant positions are the exact opposite of job creation. A vacant position means a service is not being rendered, somebody is being denied a job and therefore children are being denied a source of income in their family.
We welcome the agreement that you have reached with the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants but good intentions can also be problematic if not properly implemented. The cry that we now hear from some colleges is that chief financial officers have just rocked up, but that there had been no engagement with principals and councils to talk about what exactly it was that such persons were supposed to do. Are they part of the organogram? To whom do they report? This is something that you need to address.
We have heard of the plan to have enrolment at FET colleges increased to 1 million in 2030. This will require another recapitalisation of FET colleges. The colleges will require new classrooms, workshops and hostels - and I must say "decent hostels" - for learners who stay far away from those colleges.
The FET sector will have to be made more attractive as an alternative or, to use your words, Minister, as institutions of choice. The Minister will have to seriously address the perceived lack of parity of esteem between the National Senior Certificate and the National Certificate Vocational. The truth is that there are still real problems in the NCV. How do we explain the fact that a learner who has successfully completed NCV cannot do a trade test because the minimum requirement is N2?
A lot has been said in this House and elsewhere about the need to address the problems of teacher supply and demand. Your department has been charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the country has enough teachers. In Limpopo, for example, if you advertise for a maths or science teacher, chances are the only applicants you will get will be Zimbabweans. We know their situation and why they are here. What will happen as soon as the political situation in their country stabilises? Are we preparing ourselves?
Hon Minister, you have been rescued from challenges and problems related to concurrent powers. We expect your department to move with speed in dealing with disparities that were brought about by the lack of implementation of policies. [Time expired.] Azapo supports Budget Vote 17. [Applause.]