No student will be left behind says Nzimande

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande today, 23 May, held a briefing on post-school education and training in response to Covid-19.

“The pandemic has presented us all with a set of unprecedented challenges, and we have been engaging with stakeholders to save the 2020 academic year whilst focussing on the transformation and expansion of opportunities in the post-school education and training system (PSET),” Nzimande said.

National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)

During lockdown, NSFAS continued to disburse allowances to all NSFAS beneficiaries and has concluded an agreement with SARS to provide NSFAS access to the latest tax data in order to validate household income of NSFAS applicants. This will allow NSFAS to include other income, including investment and rental income, in application assessments.

Educational content sites of public universities, TVET and CET Colleges are now zero-rated and use virtually no data to access.

The department has negotiated favourable rates, with network providers, for NSFAS students, including the Funza Lushaka students, who will receive 10GB daytime and 20GB night-time data for three months, starting from 1 June, subsidised by government.

Universities:

As part of the department’s multimodal approach, universities will deliver paper-based teaching and learning materials to students who do not have the resources to engage electronically or online.

Risk-adjusted strategy for the return of PSET

The PSET sector is committed to resuming academic activities in line with the national risk-adjusted strategy. This includes putting remote learning systems in place and planning the gradual return to campuses during various phases of the risk-adjusted strategy.

Level 3:

A maximum of 33% of students will return to campuses, delivery sites and residences, on condition they can be safely accommodated and supported in line with the health and safety protocols as directed by the department.

This will include:

• Groups who returned during level 4.
• Final year students who are on a path to graduating in 2020 may return.

• Final year and post graduate students who require access to laboratories, technical equipment, data, connectivity and access to residence and private accommodation should return.
• Students in all years of study who require clinical training in their programmes (provided the clinical training platforms have sufficient space and can accommodate them while adhering to the safety protocols).

In addition, institutions may also consider selected return of other categories of students to residences, where students may face extreme difficulties in their home learning environments, provided the above categories are prioritized and all safety and logistical requirements are met. This will apply to level 2 as well.

As a new level is announced, it will take two to three weeks from the set date for students to return to campus.

Level 2:

At level 2, the reintegration of the next group of students to return to contact tuition on campuses located in that district will take place. A two week period will be given to allow students to travel back to their campuses and for institutions to ensure campuses are effectively prepared for the reintegration.

A maximum of 66% of the student population will return to campus for teaching, learning and assessment as follows:

• Groups who have already returned;
• Students in all years of study who require laboratory and technical equipment to complete the academic year;
• Students in all years of study who require practical placements/ experiential learning/ workplace learning to complete the academic year (if workplaces and platforms are open and prepared).
• First year undergraduate students.

Level 1:

At level 1, 100% of the student population should return to campus and the department will require “the strictest enforcement of physical distancing and health protocols”.

At all levels, plans for the return of students to residences will be determined at institutional level.

TVET Colleges

For TVET Colleges, a tentative academic calendar has been drawn up as follows:

NATED Trimester (Engineering) students

N6 & N3: 10 June

N5 & N2: 15 June

N4 & N1: 22 June

NATED Semester (Business Studies) students

N6: 25 June

N5: 29 June

N4: 06 July

NC(V) students

Level 4:   13 July

Level 3:   20 July

Level 2:   27 July

A campus-based approach will be applied where colleges are affected by different lockdown levels.

Campuses located in districts that remain in lockdown level 4 will remain closed and students will be supported using multi-modal remote learning approaches. Each college will develop a detailed remote learning support plan and share it with students.

Community Education and Training:

Nzimande stated the CET college system uses mainly schools buildings after hours. For this reason, the department has taken the decision that CET academic programmes must be aligned to that of the Department of Basic Education.

Subject to readiness of the colleges and centres, the following return dates apply:

• 25 May : Principals, deputy principals and supply chain management staff,
• 1 June 2020: Centre managers,
• 8 June 2020: all lecturers,
• 17 June for students registered for General Education Training Certificate, Senior Certificate as well National Occupational Certificates qualifications or part-qualifications.
• The return of AET Levels 1 to 3 students will be synchronised with the return of learners in the lower Grades in the public schools.

Nzimande concluded by thanking all stakeholders who we have been consulting throughout this process.

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