Community education and training is restoring dignity and hope for adults left behind by the formal schooling system.
As the community education and training (CET) sector turns 10 this month, it is a good time to reflect on whether this education sphere has received the support it deserves.
Some may know the sector by its previous name, adult basic education and training (Abet).
Though similar in that it is aimed at a more mature population, CET differs in significant ways from Abet.
Whereas Abet was intended to provide basic education and literacy skills to adults, CET seeks to provide a wider range of opportunities for a more matured adult who, for any reason, were not able to get the opportunities when they were younger.
Unlike Abet, which is limited to providing the most basic education, CET seeks to provide the stepping stone to adults who have ambitions of developing themselves further.
There are nine community colleges, one in each province and 200 community learning centres with 1 591 satellite centres across the country.
ALSO READ: Raymond Zondo’s lasting legacy on SA’s labour laws
Contact sites for teaching and learning total 1 791.
CETs offer a diverse range of programmes, including formal qualifications, occupational qualifications, skills programmes and part qualifications, as well as basic literacy and numeracy skills that were offered in the old Abet system.
Through the CET system, ` those who previously could not access technical vocational education and training and university education, can now do so.
This means they can tap into opportunities that help them become employable or, if already in jobs, grow in their careers and workplaces.
The net effect of CET colleges is that they give individuals who would otherwise may have given up on dreaming of a future for themselves a new lease on life.
CET says in unambiguous terms that one is never too old to achieve their dreams.
ALSO READ: Renowned Wits Sterkfontein caves reopen offering a more educational experience
Regrettably, there are challenges to the sector which we must overcome.
These challenges are funding and resource allocation, the quality of education provided, the lack of proper or conducive infrastructure, questions over the relevance of the programmes offered, accessibility for many potential students, public perception, social ills (GBV, crime, alcohol and drug abuse) which affect most of the community colleges students, and how the sector integrates with the rest of the education and training system.
Government budgeted about R1.1 billion for the CET sector infrastructure in the 2023-24 financial year, but this is not adequate. There is a need to increase government funding and allocation if the sector is to meet its goals, particularly the upgrading of existing infrastructure and building new centres.
It is concerning that as much as 92% of this budget is spent on salaries, leaving little for other equally important areas of work.
The state of some of CET facilities are embarrassing. They contribute to the low regard some have for the sector. Unless the look and feel of these facilities changes, we are unlikely to see them meet the goal of training one million people by 2030.
The financial limitations we have as a state require that the business community considers how it can play a role in helping the CET sector.
ALSO READ: More than half of university students rely on Nsfas
This would include developing training programmes at CET colleges to meet industry demands for skills. This is critical in the battle to fight poverty and unemployment and raise the standard of life for all.
Part of the unemployment crisis in our country comes from a lack of skills, not job opportunities. In some instances, individuals find themselves trapped in low-paying jobs not because they do not have the technical skills to go up the ladder, but because they do not have the required academic level like a matric certificate.
The CET sector could therefore be an answer in both scenarios. The other equally serious question that needs to be addressed is how the sector can develop standardised curricula and training of teachers to ensure consistency in the quality of teaching.
CET colleges must be in areas where those who need them the most can access them.
We must ensure that anyone who stands to benefit from a CET college knows where to find one, what they should study and the potential benefits at the end of their course.
Given that there are elements of the CET system in basic education and others in higher education and training purview, the integration between the systems needs to be seamless and uncomplicated.
ALSO READ: ‘Students lack the tools to succeed’: Here’s the latest number of graduates from SA’s universities
The CET restores a sense of dignity. While education’s primary purpose is to give skills to operate in the economy, its other often neglected element is its dignity restoring quality.
There are as many as 3.4% of South Africans above the age of 20 who cannot read and write. It is estimated that about 10% of the population has some literacy skills, but not enough to function in any meaningful way in the modern society.
Being able to read and write brings dignity and no longer will a person need others to read for them information that should be private.
Many help their children with their homework, yet for those who did not have the opportunity to learn to read or write, this is simply not possible. It can be humiliating.
While there is an obvious need to market the offerings of the CET colleges, it is time that graduates from the sector started coming out to share how the sector changed their lives for the better.
