Community education colleges get R10.8m
‘The project is meant to address mental health, GBV issues’
The department of higher education and training has invested R10.8m into a partnership with Higher Health to build health and wellness infrastructure in Community Education Training (CET) colleges.
While presenting to higher education portfolio committee, Nolwazi Gasa, deputy director-general: planning, policy and strategy, said this was in addition to the R8.9m from Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority.
“While at inception, the project prioritises compliance to the Covid-19 regulations with screening in particular.
“The project is meant to address issues related to mental health, gender-based violence, HIV/TB/ STI and other sexual reproductive health diseases, as well as psychosocial support to students and staff in CET colleges,” Gasa said.
She said the project was funded until November 2023 and the department had consolidated the provision of the senior certificate through entering into an Intergovernmental Protocol with the department of basic education on the provision of the second chance matric programme.
“This intervention will enable the expansion of the programme and provision of appropriate curriculum resources for out-of-school youth and adults.
Gasa said there were other skills development programmes that the department could not meet as a result of the pandemic.
“There were 20,000 students who entered the artisanal programme and only 7,191 were employed. Out of the 100,000 students only 43,119 were placed in workplace-based learning programme. Employers could not take in the learners because SETAs could not issue calls as excepted because of the restrictions placed by Covid-19,” Gasa said.
She said due to closure of trade test centres in the first and second quarters, trade test centres had a certification backlog.
“Only three out of 54 pilot community learning centres and one ordinary learning centre were accredited.
“There was no training conducted for CET college lecturers and all of these were a result of the pandemic,” Gasa said