Continuing Education and Training Act, 2006 (Act No. 16 of 2006)

Notices

National Policy on Students and Community Support Services for Community Education and Training Colleges

Introduction and Background
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1. The establishment of Community Education and Training (CET) within the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is the realization of the White Paper on Post-School Education and Training (WP-PSET), 2013. CET colleges are a third institutional type geared to reflect a new thinking about community education and training in South Africa.

 

2. The Report of the Task Team on Community Education and Training Centres (2013) describes community education as education that is within and for the communities. Moreover, it is education that is seen to embrace the formal and the non-formal systems, seeking to mobilise all forms of education, especially the primary and secondary schools, into the service of the whole community. This then requires that people’s experiences as well as their social interests that are generated within communities are taken into consideration.

 

3.This places CET colleges as a significant part of the country’s educational landscape intended to serve communities by offering programmes, information, services, and learning opportunities that are responsive to community needs. CET colleges are designed to contribute to a differentiated Post-School Education and Training (PSET) system that is meant to accelerate, deliver, and accommodate the educational needs of many South Africans who are not accommodated by Universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.

 

4. The WP-PSET describes CET colleges as institutions that provide a training system designed to cater for the needs of millions of youth and adults who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (Quarter 1:2020) shows that of the 7.1 million people that are unemployed, 54.8% of the unemployed have an educational level below matric, followed by 35.4% of those with matric. The total number of persons between the ages of 15-24 years who are not in employment, education or training increased from 33.2% in Q1:2019 to 34.1% in Q1: 2020. This marks the number of people that can be accommodated and supported within CET colleges.

 

5. The data above illustrate that there are millions of South Africans who can continue to benefit from the expansion and quality provision of CET college programmes and services. A report of the Director – General’s Advisory Task Team: The Ideal Institutional Model for Community Colleges in South Africa (2017) indicates that CET colleges are to contribute to finding solutions for the NEETs’ challenge by offering support and training that relates to people’s lives and helping them to discover options open to them and finding ways out of poverty and unemployment.

 

6. The development of the National Policy on Students and Community Support Services for Community Education and Training Colleges is in response to the Report of the task team on Community Education and Training Centres (2013) which points out numerous challenges that community education students are facing, namely :
6.1 High drop-out rates;
6.2 Poor access to markets and access to information;
6.3 High unemployment and poverty;
6.4 Alcohol and drug abuse;
6.5 Crime;
6.6 Suicide amongst the youth;
6.7 Teenage pregnancy and child abuse;
6.8 Health issues; and
6.9 Boredom.

 

7. The report recommends that community education programmes and support services provided by CET colleges must be locally orientated and informed by these contextual realities.

 

8. The Post-School education and training monitor: Macro-Indicator Trends (2019) indicates that the General Education and Training Certificate (GETC): Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) completion rates were below 50% for the period 2010-2016 and by 2016 had dropped to 35.9%. The completion rate for females was 36.9% and 31.9% for males. This marks an academic challenge that requires inputs and various forms of support, including learning and teaching support intervention programmes for students.

 

9. The Statistics South Africa Community Survey: Profiling Socio-Economic status and living arrangements of persons with disabilities in South Africa (2006) indicates that education attainment indicators are worse for people with disabilities. At least less than 0.1 % completed a certificate while those who completed grade 12 are less than 0.5%. This reduces the number of people with disabilities who can enter into higher education. Research by Garrison-Wade (2012) indicates that there are still significant access and retention barriers within higher education institutions. Students with disabilities still experience a number of barriers. This necessitates inclusive support programmes that must accommodate people with barriers to learning within CET colleges.

 

10. Research conducted by Cooper (2007); Zivin, Eisenberg, Gollust and Golberstein (2009) and Tait (2014) indicate that a myriad of factors contribute to student attrition and non-completion of college studies. These factors include students who come from families who suffer from a range of financial constraints; students who struggle with competing priorities such as college, family, and work; mental health problems; time pressure; lack of self-management; family problems; logistics and support and academic challenges. CET college students are also not immune to such challenges. Relevant support programmes must be in place to address these challenges within CET colleges.

 

11. The World Health Organisation (WHO) (2018) report indicates that South Africa has the third highest burden of disease. Social ills affecting South African communities in general cannot be overlooked as CET colleges are located within communities affected by social ills. CET colleges must therefore be an integral part in prevention and support programmes in synergy with relevant community stakeholders.

 

12. The report of the Director-General’s Advisory Task Team on Community Education and Training : The Ideal Institutional Model for Community Colleges in South Africa (2017) recommends community colleges to offer strong support and advice on programmes and learning options related to career possibilities, employment, information on community issues, work experience, labour market and placement agencies, financial aid and academic support.

 

13. The Ministerial Committee Report on post-compulsory and post-schooling provision in South Africa (2009) points out that youth and adults experience an impediment in terms of not knowing how to navigate the educational system due to lack of career information and guidance. The lack of information makes it difficult for youth and adults in communities to make decisions with regards to work and opportunities for progressing to further learning. The report recommends urgent attention in the following areas:
13.1 Student recruitment and retention;
13.2 Counseling and guidance;
13.3 Orientation;
13.4 Extracurricular activities;
13.5 Financial aid information;
13.6 Articulation; and
13.7 Linking with placement agencies.

 

14. The Report of the Task Team on Community Education and Training Centres (2013) locates the sphere of adult and youth education in communities with strong varied links with local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Community Based Organisations (CBOs), local government, local economy and labour markets. The students and community support services interventions must therefore be provided in synergy with these organisations.

 

15. A research study by Mutula (2016) reiterates that community learning centres (CLCs) cannot operate in isolation, but as part of the community. CET colleges must establish centre-community relations in order to enhance their efficiency and for the community to benefit reciprocally.

 

16. Proposal seven (7) of the Community Education and Training College System: National Plan for the Implementation of the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training System 2019-2030 (2019) refers: “Developing steering mechanisms to regulate and support appropriate provision of community education and training programmes. The development of a National Policy on Students and Community Support Services for Community Education and Training Colleges is therefore one of the targets within proposal seven (7) that alludes to the provision of appropriate academic, psycho-social support, career advice and guidance and provision of support for entry into self-employment initiatives and cooperatives through establishing linkages with entrepreneurship hubs and employment creation initiatives.