Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Kuyahlupha kwesinye isikhathi ukungakhuleli elokishini [Uhleko.] [Ihlombe.] abantu bazoqala ukuba badala ngoba sebengamaLunga ePhalamende [Ihlombe.] [Sometimes it is a problem to not grow up in the townships ... [Laughter.] [Applause.] ... because some people start being adults when they become Members of Parliament. [Applause.]]
In the field of Higher Education and Training, we are tackling the challenge of creating a coherent but differentiated post-school system that is responsive to the training needs of youths and adults. To this end, over the past year, we have made some significant strides in putting in place mechanisms to facilitate the critical transition of our youth from school, college and university to the workplace.
The anchor of government's intervention on the skills development front has been the adoption of the National Skills Development Strategy 3, NSDS 3, early this year. This strategy essentially seeks to build a closer relationship between the sector education and training authorities, Setas, the public FET colleges, the Universities of Technology and employers in order to shift the focus of the country towards trade and occupational programmes so that we increase the production of artisans and technicians, as well as to facilitate workplace training.
We are pleased, Madam Deputy Speaker and Comrade President, that last week, working together with Minister Patel, we reached a very important agreement with labour and business, agreeing that by the end of this month we will have targeted all additional training capacity in both private companies and state-owned enterprises in order to train more artisans and technicians. [Applause.]
Also, the National Skills Development Strategy 3 provides for Setas and the National Skills Fund to support the training needs of co-operatives and small enterprises, as well as supporting NGO community- and worker- initiated Skills Development Training Programmes.
The government will work to ensure that every cent of the R8 billion in the Seta system will be directed towards meaningful skills development for our youth, adults and workers. This is also as a response to your call, President, for more education and skills development.
At the centre of our strategies are plans and initiatives already under way to strengthen and grow the public FET colleges and also to strengthen the partnership between public FET colleges and employers. Ideally in our country we want a situation where every FET college graduate must get some workplace exposure. That is what we are working towards. Co-operation between colleges and employers facilitated by the Setas is being actively promoted in order to improve the quality of learning.
In 2011, we have created 60 000 new study opportunities in public FET colleges. This government is committed to progressively introducing free education for poor students up to undergraduate level, as the President has already announced. [Applause.]
It is for this reason that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS, is being strengthened and additional resources are being given to it in order to progressively fulfil this commitment to ensuring that no capable student is denied access to education for lack of money.
Sekela Somlomo nawe Mongameli, abanye bayabuza-ke ikakhulukazi laba abangapha. UMongameli ukhulumile wathi abafundi abenza unyaka wokugcina sizobanika imali elingana nemali abayidingayo esikoleni, uma bephasile bangabe besayibuyisela leyo mali. Sathi abafundi abakumakolishi ama-FET abenza izifundo ze-NCV nezinhlelo zezifundo zo-N abasezukukhokha nhlobo nhlobo. Bona-ke labo ntaba kayikhonjwa laba [Uhleko.] bathi iyokwenzeka nini lento eshiwo nguMsholozi? Ngifuna ukuthi-ke Mongameli njengoba ngikhuluma nawe nje iyenzeka, njengamanje abafundi bayangena ezakhiweni ngalolu hlobo [Ihlombe.]
Okunye esesikwenzile wukusiza abafundi ngolwazi lwemisebenzi abangayifundela nezifundo okufanele bazenze, lokhu esithi yi-Career Guidance, yisonto lesithathu-ke leli siqale izinhlelo nenhlangano yokusakaza kulelizwe i-SABC, ngezilimi eziyisikhombisa okwamanje esizozandisa. Njalo kanye ngesonto kunezingxoxo zokubonisa abafundi ukuthi yiziphi izifundo abangazithatha nanokuthi uma befuna ukuba yizinto ezithize, bazokwenzenjani. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Deputy Speaker and President, some are asking a question, especially those from the other side. The President spoke and said students who are in the final year will be given money equal to their tuition fees for that year; if they pass they will not need to reimburse that money. We said those who are in FET colleges and enrolled for NCV and other N courses will not pay a cent. Now some, I cannot pinpoint who ... [Laughter.] ... are asking, when is this going to happen? I want to tell you, President, right now as I am talking to you, it is happening! Right now students are being enrolled in this manner. [Applause.]
What we have also done is to provide information about courses that students can do, which is called Career Guidance. This is now the third week since the programmes, which are broadcast by the SABC in seven different languages, started. We are still going to add one more language each week. They discuss different courses that students can study if they want to take certain career routes.]
This is all part of our determination to realise education as a priority, as the President has articulated. On the university side, we have a number of good universities in this country; we must not and we will not run them down. The task is to make sure that they are more accessible to black students and that they also transform some of our programmes to be in line with what I said earlier.
We will pay special attention to our historically disadvantaged institutions, the former Bantustan universities, which, in the main, are in the rural areas. We therefore are calling upon all our people, including our young people, to rally behind the call made by the President to make use of these expanded education and training opportunities.
We want to say to our youth, in particular, make full use of these opportunities - no tender or expensive social party will empower you more than education. [Applause.]
Uthini-ke uTrollip njengoba uMongameli ekhuluma kanje nathi sisho kanje? Uzoxoxa inganekwane emini ilanga libalele [Uhleko.], ngithemba ukuthi-ke akuzushiwo ukuthi sengiphule inqubo nemigomo yasePhalamende. Uyangixaka Baba lunga elihloniphekile, Mhlonishwa uTrollip. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[What does Trollip have to say if the President and we are saying such things? He is telling a fairytale in broad daylight. [Laughter.] I hope no one will say I am unparliamentary. I am really dumbfounded by what hon member Trollip was saying.]
Because all that you have been doing and saying here is just politicking with local government in front of you. You are being selective, you are trying to project the DA as if it were this best thing. We have open toilets here which are an affront to the dignity of our people; you actually launched security to go and shoot innocent workers in Hout Bay because they are too close to a whole range of areas. [Applause.] Your own Premier stopped the minstrels here in the Cape from actually having a celebration ...