Quality access and widening participation in adult education and training is one of my outputs in my performance agreement with the President. The large number of young people who are neither studying nor working - we estimate over three million in the 18-24-year age group alone - require us to expand educational opportunities for adults outside universities and FET colleges. In this process of radically expanding opportunities for adults, including young adults, we will look at various possibilities, including better utilisation of existing facilities. I have put together a team of experts to conceptualise a workable institutional model of community education and training centres that is distinct, unique and multipurpose, with appropriate systems, programmes, funding modalities, qualification frameworks, institutional arrangements and staffing.
As I undertook last year, my department has finished drafting a National Senior Certificate for Adults. This has now been approved by Umalusi, which will soon be gazetting the qualification for public comment.
On 5 April, together with the Minister of Basic Education, umakhelwane [my neighbour], we launched the Integrated Strategic Plan for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa for the period 2011-25. This is a plan that will ensure that we have enough teachers to serve the needs of our schools, that increasing numbers of high-achieving school leavers are attracted into the teaching profession and that teachers are provided with ongoing support to improve their education and skills.
Existing university-based teacher education will be strengthened and new, dedicated institutions and campuses will be established where needed. Where feasible, we will also involve those FET colleges that are engaged in the training of early childhood development practitioners. My department is currently also working on a plan for the education and development of lecturers for FET colleges and adult education and training practitioners.
In the period 2011-14, the Department of Higher Education and Training, DHET, will increase the number of universities offering foundation-phase teacher education programmes, specifically for the preparation of teachers who are able to teach in the African languages.
Regarding universities, I have appointed a ministerial committee for the review of the funding of universities, under the leadership of Mr Cyril Ramaphosa. This is in line with the intention I announced last year. This committee will review the current funding framework of universities and determine the university system's resource requirements over the next 5 to 10 years. I expect a report with recommendations by early next year.
The ministerial committee for the review of the provision of student housing, headed by Prof Ihron Rensburg of the University of Johannesburg, UJ, will submit a final report at the end of June 2011. For the period 2010- 11 to 2011-12, R686 million has been allocated from the infrastructure grant to the universities to build and refurbish student residences.
Most universities have made excellent progress so far with infrastructure projects for which the Ministry allocated R3,2 billion for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years. Universities are investing an additional R2,2 billion from other sources, bringing the total investment to R5,5 billion over the two years.
For 2010-11 and 2011-12, approximately R803 million from the infrastructure allocation has been allocated to historically disadvantaged institutions, HDIs. We do intend to increase investment in infrastructure in HDIs over the next three years.
An amount of R421 million for 2011-12 has been allocated to 19 universities for teaching development grants to assist in improving graduate outputs. In addition, R174 million has been allocated to all universities for foundation programmes designed to improve the success rates of students from disadvantaged educational backgrounds. By way of example, over the period 2007 to 2009, almost 32 000 first-time students enrolled for foundation programmes. The success rate in these programmes has been above 70%. In seven universities it was above 80%.
My performance agreement with the President requires me to increase the production of graduates in science, engineering, medicine and other areas classified as scarce and critical skills. I recently had a meeting with the deans of the relevant faculties to discuss increasing graduate outputs and am currently receiving concrete proposals in this regard.
I must say that I share the concerns of many social scientists, despite the debates that the role and vigour of social sciences and humanities in our universities have declined. I have therefore commissioned Prof Ari Sitas and Dr Sarah Mosoetsa to lead an investigation and develop a charter on how to strengthen humanities and social sciences in South African universities. I am expecting a final report in about three months. Hon Ellis, we want to strengthen "progressive" human sciences, not "liberal" human sciences. [Laughter.]
I am particularly concerned about the glaring weakness at our universities in one area of the humanities, African languages. I held consultations ... [Interjections.]