South Africa is gearing up for one of the most significant overhauls of its post-school education and training system since democracy.
Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela is seeking to expand the role of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges to tackle massification pressures.
But first he has his eye on modernising higher education law, which he said had barely shifted since the late 1990s.
Manamela said the country must “engineer the system for the next 30 to 50 years”, noting that the country’s National Development Plan (NDP) extended to only 2030.
He warned that the post-school model, which was heavily weighted towards universities, was no longer aligned with the skills demands of a rapidly changing economy.
“South Africa cannot continue producing graduates for a labour market that has already moved on,” he said.
“TVET colleges offer so much potential and it’s not being tapped. Universities are overloaded and we need alternative pathways that are credible, high-quality and linked to real work opportunities.”
The shift is not rhetorical. South Africa has expanded occupational programmes from 15 to nearly 800 in just a few years, with colleges now expected to integrate classroom learning, workshop training and workplace experience — a model inspired by the German, Austrian and Swiss dual training systems — which Manamela believes could help change the narrative.
The minister said the reforms were reshaping student behaviour.
“We’re seeing more students choosing occupational trades and the quality of programmes is improving. The dual system is becoming a reality.”
Yet the numbers reveal the scale of the challenge. The NDP set a target of 2.5 million TVET students by 2030. The system peaked at about 700 000 before sliding to just under 450 000.
However, the minister said momentum was returning, with a target of 580 000 students by the end of the current academic year, helped by hybrid delivery models that gained traction during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reaching the NDP target, he said, would require more than enthusiasm. Infrastructure, staffing and programme quality had to expand
in tandem.
“We want to increase the number of programmes, the infrastructure, the lecturers and the students. The energy is there — from industry, from government, from young people — and we must harness it.”
One of the most urgent concerns was the decline in enrolments in mathematics, physical science and medicine, a trend that threatened the country’s long-term competitiveness, especially as artificial intelligence became ubiquitous.
“It’s worrying, the numbers we received last year,” Manamela said. “We cannot build a modern economy without strong foundations in science and technology.”
The departments of basic education and science and innovation have been tasked with developing a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) pipeline strategy, starting from early childhood and extending through to university.
The plan includes strengthening teacher capacity, expanding foundation-phase science programmes and shifting the national narrative away from the social sciences as the default option.
Private higher education, the minister said, had largely focused on business and social science programmes, leaving the state to fill the STEM gap.
“The state must intervene where the market does not.”
Despite the renewed focus on vocational training, Manamela said universities remained the backbone of the system.
“Our universities are some of the strongest in the world … We’re not leaving them behind,” he said.
The NDP’s target of 1.6 million university students by 2030 was “within reach” but institutions would be expected to ensure their programmes remained relevant and did not produce unemployed graduates. Research, innovation and postgraduate training remained core priorities.
The minister also emphasised the need for universities to support TVET colleges through capacity-building, curriculum development and shared expertise.
“We must transfer the strengths of our universities into the college sector. That partnership is essential.”
No discussion of South Africa’s higher education system would be complete without addressing the government-funded National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), which has faced failures, payment delays and public criticism.
Manamela distanced himself from being the “minister of NSFAS” but has taken firm oversight responsibility. “I am ensuring that the commitments made to me — paying allowances on time, clearing appeals, stabilising governance — are met.”
He praised the interim leadership for “working around the clock” to prepare for the academic year but acknowledged that the NSFAS remained a pressure point that required sustained attention.
Perhaps the most far-reaching element of the minister’s agenda is legislative reform. The Higher Education Act, the Continuing Education and Training Act and the Skills Development Act are being updated to reflect a world of online universities, hybrid learning, microcredentials and global competition.
“We never imagined that the University of South Africa could compete with online universities from other countries,” Manamela said. “The system must adapt to a world where learning is borderless.”
Colleges have argued for greater autonomy. The minister said he was “persuaded” by the case for devolving more powers — a shift that could reshape governance across
the sector.
South Africa’s post-school system is vast, fragmented and under pressure. The department oversees more entities than any other in the country, from universities and TVET colleges to sector education and training authorities) and community colleges. Governance failures have been costly.
“We need good leaders, not just vice-chancellors and principals but [also for] councils and boards,” Manamela said.
The minister’s agenda is ambitious but he said the stakes were too high for incrementalism. “We must stabilise the present but design for a future that is already arriving.”
Asked whether the pressure had been high since his appointment and reflected in the grey hairs in his beard, Manamela laughed, saying working around the clock to address various challenges had been a roller-coaster ride.
Edwin Naidu is the head of Higher Education Media Services. This interview was published on the University World News Africa site.
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