Nursing, agriculture colleges gear up for migration
Higher education department take over plan at hand
South Africa’s nursing and agriculture colleges are a step closer to migrating to the department of higher education and training (DHET) after years of dilly dallying regarding the migration.
In 2011, the Council on Higher Education advised Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande that to deal with the challenges in the quality of qualifications offered by public colleges under provincial governance, they should be brought into a national competence under the DHET.
South Africa has 11 agricultural colleges across eight provinces, while there are 10 nursing colleges operating as higher education colleges in line with the Higher Education Amendment Act.
DHET spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said Nzimande and Thoko Didiza, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, had met and agreed on a consultation process to be followed.
“Work has commenced to ensure compliance with the department of public service and administration transfer of functions guidelines.
“Provincial budgets can only be appropriated by the National Treasury and transferred to department of agriculture, land reform and rural development, once all consultation and compliance processes have been completed and the minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation has gazetted the colleges of agriculture as higher education colleges,” he said.
Mnisi said the colleges of agriculture offered qualifications, which include qualifications on the Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework, a variety of skills training and other vocational programmes, including non-accredited skills training programmes of varying duration.
“In terms of the transitional arrangement, the 10 recognised public nursing colleges, listed in the gazette, were permitted to offer certificates, diplomas and bachelor degrees in nursing, which are accredited and registered on the Higher Education Qualifications Sub- Framework from January 2020 onwards, as long as they meet the Council on Higher Education and the South African Nursing Council accreditation requirements, and are registered on the National Qualifications Framework.”
The 2021 Medium-term Budget Policy Statement, which was tabled on November 11 2021 by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, signalled that the Colleges of Agriculture would be shifted to the national government.
It was planned these colleges would be declared as Colleges of Higher Education with effect from April 1, 2022.
However, it was decided in January that the declaration would be postponed to April 1 2023 to:
• Allow opportunities for further consultation with provincial departments and members of executive councils
• Ensure compliance with the department of public service and administration transfer of functions guidelines
• Finalise provincial budgets to be transferred to the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development.
The postponement follows a meeting between the national Treasury and the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development.