New laws, more money for skills

The qualifications framework will now consist of three distinct, but closely interrelated, qualification sub-frameworks, she said. These will be a qualification framework for higher education, one for general and further education, and the one for trades and occupations.

Pandor said that skills instruction has not been as well co-ordinated as it might have been, and has not truly dealt with the skills challenge. She also called for a far more vigorous attack to improve the quality of education.

In that regard, the minister said that the number of specialised maths and science schools - the so-called Dinaledi schools - has been increased to 500, and an extra 800 maths and science teachers have been recruited.

Private sector pulling weight

"The private sector," she said, "has been hugely supportive of these schools, and numerous donations and incentives have been provided. Some companies have built a school laboratory, some upgraded empty classrooms designated as libraries."

She added that she hoped these schools would be the key to achieving the target of 50 000 maths passes at the end of this year. "I hope I won't regret saying that," she said.

Extra money is also going to boost the output of engineering graduates from universities and technikons. Based on their already established ability to increase graduation rates, particularly for black students, four universities are to receive R48m. They are UCT, Wits, and the universities of KZN. and Pretoria.

Another R3.6bn is allocated over the next three-year medium-term budget period to those institutions that indicated they could increase their enrolments and graduates in targeted areas such as engineering.

In the absence of minister of labour Membathisi Mdladlana, Pandor also announced that a skills development amendment bill is also well advanced and will be tabled at Nedlac shortly.

Setas not enthusiastic enough

She said that Mdladlana was disappointed that not all sector education and training authorities (Setas) responded to an announcement last year that R300m would be set aside for artisan development under the national skills fund. "Not all Setas responded with the enthusiasm or were committed enough to reprioritise some of their funding towards artisan training," Pandor added.

"We are now exploring the possibility of extending this facility to other companies, who can demonstrate their commitment to artisan training so that we can match their contribution from the remaining funds. The total uptake has only amounted to 185 million rand, so there is still another R115m available."

However, she also said that high levels of artisan enrolments by Setas resulting from the call for reprioritising funds indicated that by 2010 the 50 000 qualified artisans needed by the country was now beginning to look like a very strong reality.

- I-Net Bridge