OVERVIEW Education and
OVERVIEW Education and training Enrolment at Sol Plaatje University is rising. Image: SAASTA The two big events that stand out in the Northern Cape education sector in recent times are the opening of Sol Plaatje University and the establishment of one of the world’s great scientific ventures within the province’s boundaries, the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project. But there is another development that should not be ignored: the selection as provincial premier of Dr Zamani Saul. Already the holder of a PhD in law, two Master’s degrees and a BProc, Dr Saul is studying towards a second PhD. On his watch, the province’s various bursary programmes have been consolidated in the Premier’s Bursary Fund, with a total spend in the 2019/20 year of about R36-million. A further R7-million was allocated by the Office of the Premier to youth skills development with a focus on portable skills such as basic refrigeration and air-conditioning maintenance and security. Speaking at the AGM of the Fund, Saul said, “At the heart of a modern, growing and successful province is education. We won’t be able to modernise the province if we do not place emphasis on the education of our children.” At the time that Saul took office, 97% of all schools in the Northern Cape had Internet connectivity (542 out of 556) for teaching and learning purposes and he promised a renewed effort to connect the remaining 14 schools. The project has drawn praise for the fact that the public and private sectors are working together to achieve agreed goals. The Namaqua Maths and Science project (NaMaSci) is a partnership between the Northern Cape Department of Education and the University of Stellenbosch which aims to help students in the Sector Insight Carnarvon High School’s Lego Robotics team won gold in Uruguay. Namakwa district gain access to tertiary study. Tutors offer holiday classes in Springbok. The Provincial Government of the Northern Cape has several skills programmes, including the Artisan Construction Programme, a three-year incubation programme aimed at young people, the Phakamile Mabija Apprenticeship (artisan incubation programme) and the S’hamba Sonke Contractor Development Programme. Big data Carnarvon is the physical focus of the SKA, but the province as a whole and the new university NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2020/21 44
OVERVIEW in Kimberley will benefit from its broadband connectivity, highperformance computing, big data and data analysis. With support from SKA, Carnarvon High School is the only school in the area offering maths and science. As of 2019, 15 matriculants from the school have been awarded university undergraduate bursaries. Five schools in the area participate in Lego Robotics programmes and a team of eight from Carnarvon High won a gold cup for “inspiration” at the 2019 International Lego League competition in Montevideo, Uruguay. Artisan training has also benefitted from the presence of SKA in Carnarvon. The new technical training centre has trained 84 students as electricians, fitters and turners, in instrumentation, diesel mechanics, in IT and boilermaking, as well as in carpentry, plumbing, bricklaying and welding. Image: NCDOE for equal rights, Sol Plaatje. One of his books, Native Life in South Africa, tells the story in harrowing detail of how black South Africans were thrown off their land as a consequence of the 1913 Land Act. He was also a novelist, a translator and one of the founding members and first Secretary-General of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC), which became the ANC. Kimberley is part of the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality. The first intake of students at the Kimberley campus in 2014 was 124. At the 2019 graduation ceremony, 319 students were congratulated and when classes began for the 2020 academic year, over 700 first-time students enrolled. Approximately 60% of the students are enrolled in teacher training courses. A group of students from the university (Team Dumela) has already made waves at national level, being awarded second place at the National ITWeb Security Summit. The academic programme is housed in four schools: Education; Humanities; Natural and Applied Sciences; Economic and Management Sciences. Bachelor’s degrees are offered in education, science, science in data, ICT, heritage studies, commerce and arts. A diploma in retail business management (three years) and a one-year higher certificate in heritage studies completes the prospectus. The provincial government is implementing its Northern Cape Information Society Strategy in partnership with the university. Astronomy-related courses are planned for the future to dovetail with the Square Kilometre Array. The Northern Cape Urban TVET College comprises three campuses in Kimberley: City Campus, Moremogolo Campus and Phatsimang Campus where teacher training is done. At City Campus, students have access to three departments: business studies, engineering studies and a business unit that organises short courses in partnership with various public and private partners. At Moremogolo Campus students are offered courses in either the business studies or skills departments. The Northern Cape Rural TVET College has campuses at Kathu, Upington, De Aar, Kuruman and Namakwaland. These colleges offer students courses in finance, economics and accounting; engineering; IT and computer science; management; hospitality; marketing; and tourism. NCRTVET College has a variety of part-time programmes and short skills programmes delivered in the form of learnerships, internships or apprenticeships. This enables adults and employed people to study after hours or to do enrichment courses. ■ After years of lobbying for a university, the Northern Cape now has its own place of higher learning, Sol Plaatje University, named after the great intellectual, writer and advocate Online Resources Northern Cape Department of Education: http://ncdoe.ncpg.gov.za Northern Cape Rural TVET College: www.ncrtvet.com Northern Cape Urban TVET College: ww.ncutvet.edu.za Sol Plaatje University: www.spu.ac.za Square Kilometre Array: www.ska.ac.za 45 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2020/21
