Madam Speaker,

The IFP supports the primary Bill, i.e. the National Qualifications Framework Bill together with the two amendment bills amending the Higher Education Act and the General and Further Education and Training Quality Assurance Act. 

The primary Bill aims to deal with the fragmentation in the sector and referred to the formation of a new Quality Council, the Trades and Occupations Quality Council, alongside the existing Umalusi and Quality Council for Higher education.

Our greatest concern however, is that the existing bodies have been in existence for over 10 years, but the quality of these bodies is very poor and the rate of functionally illiterate people remains very high.

In terms of the bill the Minister of Education bears sole responsibility including the appointment of the members of the board.  We therefore hope that the members appointed to these bodies will be professionals who will add to professionalism in the system and not just party loyalists. We should recall qualified and experienced personnel prematurely lost to the profession.

Increasingly importantly the IFP believes that without proper teacher training and adequate resources the mess that the entire education system stands accused of causing will not vanish. Under the present system there is a scarcity and uneven or erratic distribution of resources coupled with dysfunctional management.

The country must develop a highly qualified, well paid and highly motivated cadre of educators to achieve quality education. We must bring back the culture of accountability throughout the system, at educator and management level.   

I thank you.