Madam Chairperson, the ACDP has understood the purpose of the amendments as being primarily to align existing legislation with the new education dispensation that came about when the former department of education was split into the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training. We welcome efforts to create coherence in the Adult Education and FET systems and hope that amendments addressing the appointment of educators will facilitate greater stability and that this will impact positively on the adult education success rate in future.
Concerns do however remain with regard to clauses which could have the effect of isolating South African higher education from the rest of the world, and of unreasonably impacting on the relationship between local and international providers of higher education, to the detriment of South Africans.
The ACDP fully supports the department's commitment to protecting South African students from questionable providers, substandard qualifications, and misleading practices. However, in our opinion, this can be addressed successfully using existing laws and does not require further restrictions.
The rigorous process in place for overseas higher education providers who wish to provide higher education in this country does limit the activities of low quality or unscrupulous providers, both local and foreign, but it also discourages the presence of high-quality providers.
The ACDP will support these Bills, but appeals to the Minister to closely monitor and consider possible amendments to make sure we are not preventing good quality, legitimate providers from operating within our country.
We also wish this department every success in the challenging days and years ahead. Thank you.
USIHLALO WENDLU (Nkk M N Oliphant): Malungu ahloniphekile sengizonibiza ngamagama ngoba anivumi ukuthula futhi lowo engizombiza ngegama uzoma ngomlenze owodwa kuze kuphume le Ndlu. [Uhleko.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms M N Oliphant): Hon members, I will be forced to call you by your names now because you do not want to keep quiet and the one whose name I will call out should stand on one foot until the House adjourns. [Laughter.]]