COSATU supports the Higher Education Amendment Bill

COSATU strongly supports and welcomes Government’s Higher Education Amendment Bill and urges Parliament to pass it as a matter of the highest priority. The federation wants the bill further strengthened though to ensure outsourcing, labour broking etc. are banned at all public universities, colleges etc.

The bill should also ensure that universities funds can only be invested in local companies that create and protect local jobs and only in companies that are not involved with labour broking, outsourcing etc. The universities, colleges should account to Parliament on an annual basis. The criteria for nominations to university councils should be tightened to ensure that candidates with questionable records are not appointed.

We strongly urge Parliament to speedily pass the Higher Education Amendment Bill with the above amendments, as it will further capacitate government to ensure that transformation of higher education is accelerated.

Our support for the Bill is informed by the following key challenges facing the nation:

-  The economy needs more skilled graduates. 

-  Too often graduates do not have the skills needed by the economy. 

-  Too many graduates are left unemployed. 

-  Too few students can afford tuition. 

-  University fees far outstrip inflation and place tertiary education out of the reach of more than 90% of South Africans. 

-  NSFAS’ funding threshold is too low and thus excludes most working South Africans’ children, even factory workers below the tax threshold. 

-  Students graduate with unbearable student loan debt. 

-  Too often university administrations pursue profit above developmental objectives. 

-  Corruption, outsourcing, privatisation and labour broking have become the norm at the expense of decent permanent work for university workers. 

-  22 years into democracy, and yet too many universities have failed to achieve affirmative action and employment equity targets.

COSATU strongly supports the Bill’s progressive objectives to:

-  Provide for the Minister to set transformation objectives and goals.

-  Provide for financial and transformation accountability to the Minister in the form of Annual Reports.

-  Provide for financial accountability to the Auditor General in the form of Annual Reports.

-  Provide oversight, regulation and intervention powers for the Department over private tertiary institutions.

-  Provide guidance on how university funds can be invested.

-  Seek to reduce conflicts of interests and the abuse of positions in terms of private financial interests of university officials.

-  Provide for a variety of possible interventions to the Minister as needed.

Statement issued by COSATU Parliamentary Officer, Cde Matthew Parks, 17 February 2016