Chairperson, hon members, comrades and fellow South Africans, South Africa's education system has made a lot of progress in ensuring the efficiency of further education and training in the transformation agenda of the ANC. Since the 1994 breakthrough, significant pieces of legislation and policies have been implemented to promote access to education in line with the Freedom Charter clause that says, "The doors of learning and culture shall be opened." This clause has been an inspiration in students' lives, struggles, classroom politics and yearning for a better education system.
After listening to hon Dr James, I thought it very important to remind him of where we come from. We are busy addressing the legacy of apartheid. The enormous progress in education derives its strength from the gallant student struggles, school boycotts, and protests and sacrifices of the working class and the poor. Central to key different historic moments of student struggles was protest against the Bantu Education Act, Act 47 of 1953.
Between 1976 and 1977 the number of political trials involving students reached high proportions. Between 1984 and 1989 there were resurgent student struggles after a period of political lull in 1970. Part of the apartheid strategy was to deny black children access to education because they posed a threat to the ideals of minority rule. This was a strategy to produce and reproduce docile and unskilled people who would not challenge the status quo of the time. Furthermore, the strategy would produce people that would not be relevant to economic growth, need skills and decent work, including teaching and developing new knowledge.
In the postapartheid society, colleges and universities should reflect and be motivated by the imperatives of the new growth path and development for a better life for all. In this regard, the ANC 2009 manifesto states that education is a means of promoting good citizenship as well as preparing our people for the needs of a modern economy and a democratic society.
The ANC national executive committee in the January 2010 bulletin resolved that further education and training colleges should be geared towards promoting scarce skills. This means that FETs should, therefore, be geared towards producing artisans, plumbers, electricians and engineers, which the economy needs for development.
For this year, the policy priorities, amongst other things, will be to facilitate the training of 16 to 25-year-olds in the FET band and to provide a second chance at education for those who did not qualify for university education. It cannot be business as usual for Setas. They should not only talk, they should work with higher education institutions to ensure that poor and previously disadvantaged students get financial assistance through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
Hon Dr James, I know that you do not like this, but it's directed at you. We will accredit the farmworkers through the SA Qualifications Authority for experience and expertise acquired through many years of slavery. This will enable these workers to acquire land and have access to the assistance of banks. A constitutional amendment is required to return the arable land to the state. The willing-seller, willing-buyer policy has failed us.
We will establish further education and training systems, development systems, and accountability and ethical practice systems to improve the functioning of FET colleges. For all this, the Minister of Finance announced a budget allocation of R12 billion to FET colleges over three years. This budget allocation has been shifted from the province to the national department. A further R1,3 billion is allocated to improve the salaries of FET college educators. As my hon President Jacob Zuma also said, this time around, government will work faster, harder and smarter.
We must accept that we are also faced with challenges in the existing colleges. For example, the merger of the Lehurutshe College of Education with Mafikeng and Lichtenberg Colleges into the Taletso College, which is situated in Mafikeng, is faced with the following challenges. One, with regard to advocacy, communities still have misconceptions about the college and its programmes. They do not regard this college as an institution of first choice after matric. Two, big industries and mines in the region are reluctant to partner with the college in the placement of students and with sponsorship. Three, there is a lack of qualified staff in class and in administration. Four, there is a lack of equipment for engineering workshops. Five, bursaries are not adequate, and this results in many dropping out. Six, machines are not adequately serviced because of the resources. Finally, the introduction of short-term contracts has resulted in the resignation of skilled artisans, technicians and professional lecturers.
In conclusion, I would like to request that the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training and the department visit this institution and intervene. The ANC supports this Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]