The 2013 White Paper for Post-School Education and Training provides for the establishment of community education and training colleges that targets post-school youth and adults who wish to raise the base for further learning, improve their skills for employability and/or progression to opportunities in the TVET colleges and university education.
Nine community colleges, one in each province, have been established and include the incorporation of 3,279 adult education and training centres.
These colleges are a new type of institution catering initially mainly for those who do not qualify for admission to TVET colleges or universities. Government has committed to increase youth and adult involvement in the community education and training to one million by 2030.
These colleges will target post-school youth and adults who wish to raise the base for further learning, improve their skills for employability and/or progression to opportunities in the TVET colleges and university education.
In essence, community education and training will offer programmes that contribute to improving community cohesion and social capital, and responsive to the geographic and sectoral needs and challenges.
There is a policy from the provision of formal literacy and numeracy to a diversified programme mix which includes formal qualification, occupational qualifications and part qualifications and skills through the establishment of networks and partnerships with community based organisations (CBOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as faith-based organizations (FBOs).
Purpose
Plan, develop, implement, monitor, maintain and evaluate national policy, programme assessment practices and systems for community education and training.
Programmes:
Community education and Training has four sub-programmes:
Programme Management: Community Education and Training manages the delegated administrative and financial responsibilities, and coordinates the monitoring and evaluation function of the programme.
Community Education and Training Colleges Systems Planning, Institutional Development and Support supports management and councils, monitors and evaluates the community education and training system performance against set indicators, develops regulatory frameworks for the system, manages and monitors the procurement and distribution of learning and teaching support materials, provides leadership for community education and training colleges to enter into partnerships for the utilisation of infrastructure and funding resources, maps out an institutional landscape for the rollout of the community education and training system, and is responsible for community education and training infrastructure planning and development.
Financial Planning sets up financial management systems, develops the financial management capacity of community education and training colleges, manages and determines fair distribution of funding to community education and training colleges in accordance with funding norms and standards for funding these colleges, monitors compliance with supply chain management policy, and ensures the timely submission of audited performance information, annual financial statements, and quarterly and annual reports.
Education and Training and Development Support manages and coordinates curriculum development processes; ensures the development of quality learning and teaching materials; monitors and supports the implementation of curriculum statements and assessment regulations; monitors and supports the development of lecturers; provides leadership for community education and training colleges to diversify their programmes, qualifications and curriculum; and provides leadership for colleges to form partnerships and linkages for programme diversification.
