Higher Education will contribute to Jipsa – at a cost
05-APR-06
Head of Hesa, Professor Barney Pityana delivered a speech at the launch of Jipsa in Pretoria and was clear that, “higher education is a resource that can drive the engine of economic growth in our country”.
He proposed a number of ways that HE institutions could respond to the challenge of Asgisa. “First is that higher education institutions must find and reassert their historic mission if they are to be of service to society and to meet society’s expectations”.
Pityana also asked for more money for public institutions. “The financial constraints that the Ministry of Education is confronted with should be eased. This means that more investment must be made to higher education so as to ensure the much needed capital development, and this to release the resources and energies entrapped in higher education to add value to development,” Pityana added.
Professor Pityana suggested that universities should spend a percentage of their time on activities that will assist industry. "They should afford about 10% of their resources to training, in short courses and custome-made programmes to work with industry, especially with the unemployed, to supplement their education and training, and to prepare the unemployed with skills for the world of work."
"Everyone who has been through such a programme should be guaranteed employment in an appropriate industry," proposes Pityana. "This requires a major extension of higher education for which resources must be provided, as well as improved access and appropriate industrial partnership with the higher education sector".
