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The situation with regard to SA public nursing colleges. FUNDISA May 2012. New Qualifications Framework for Nursing in South Africa. Three entry levels 1 Year certificate to become a registered assistant nurse 3 year diploma to become a staff nurse
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The situation with regard to SA public nursing colleges FUNDISA May 2012
New Qualifications Framework for Nursing in South Africa • Three entry levels • 1 Year certificate to become a registered assistant nurse • 3 year diploma to become a staff nurse • 4 year B degree to become a professional nurse • All at Higher Education level (level 5 or above) • Public Nursing Colleges currently train about 70% of all nurses, including professional nurses
A Higher Education InstitutionHigher Education Act 101 of 1997 • Any institution that provides higher education on a full-time, part-time or distance basis and which is: • Established or deemed to be established as a public higher education institution under this Act; • Declared as a public higher education institution under this Act; or • Registered or conditionally registered as a private higher education institution under this Act. • Public higher education institution means any institution that is established, deemed to be established or declared as a public higher education institution under this act • Higher education means all learning programmes leading to qualifications higher than grade 12 or its equivalent in terms of the NQF and includes tertiary education.
Rest of the Act • Chapter 1: CHE • Chapter 2: Public Higher Education Institutions • Chapter 4: Governance of Public Higher Education Institutions • Chapter 5: Funding of Public Higher Education • Chapter 6: Independent assessors • Chapter 7: Private Higher Education Institutions • Chapter 8: General • Chapter 9: Transitional and other arrangements
Question • Can provincial DOH Colleges of Nursing offer Higher Education? • Answer: In terms of a letter received from the CEO of the CHE, they can • But all their programmes have to be accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee.
Question 2 • Should the Nursing Colleges advocate declaration as a Higher Education Institution? • Implications: • They will be funded by DHE&T according to the current formula, which will be less than 50% of what they receive currently • There is little political will to do this
So what is the way forward then? • Colleges can stay as they are, where they are, but apply for all their programmes to be accredited. • Let us explore this option
Council for Higher Education HE Quality Committee (HEQC) • They do not accredit institutions, but only programmes. • They are funded by the DHE&T • Who will fund programme accreditation of nursing programmes? Agricultural programme accreditation is funded by DAF. • Application is made online, by the institution with two components: • Institutional information • Programme information • The Criteria for Programme Accreditation is the foundational document. • Process of approval for new programmes: • Candidacy phase • Accreditation phase
Candidacy phase • An institution has to demonstrate, firstly, that it meets the HEQC criteria for candidacy phase (input criteria) or that it has the potential or capability to meet these criteria in a stipulated period of time. • The institution’s application should be based on a critical self-evaluation of the new programme against requirements of the HEQC programme input criteria. • Secondly the institution should submit a plan for the implementation of the new programme specifying implementation steps (including time frames and resource) and strategies to meet process, output and impact criteria.
Some major problems • FINANCIAL ISSUES: • Colleges cannot have developmental funds – something without which no modern HEI can exist. • They do not control their own student fees. • They do not have their own financial policies and systems. • STAFFING ISSUES: • Colleges have no independent HR policies • A single discipline staff teaching (in B degree) in a multidisciplinary programme.
Questions • Can these problems be solved within provinces? • Perhaps in some, but not everywhere. • The majority has no provincial Acts to legitimize NE • Is there another option? • Agriculture is developing a national Act for Agricultural Colleges • This might be the way to go for nursing: • A Public Nursing Colleges Act (PNC Act)
Arguments for and against a PNC Act • It may be an acceptable political solution: • The DOH get what they want – nursing stays in Health; • The DHE&T gets a legal way to not have to take on a whole new sector. • It allows issues in nursing colleges to be addressed to improve control and quality • External funding • HR policies
If this is the solution, what is the way forward? • IINITIAL LOBBYING • Objectives: • 1. Get support in principal • 2. Clarify process and timelines • Targets: • CHE • Department of Agriculture and Fisheries • DOH and DHE&T • DEVELOPING AND PROMULGATING THE ACT • Getting it approved by the sector • Submitting it to DOH
Document for initial lobbying • Set out legislative and practical problems • Suggest the PNC Act as a possible solution • Outline main principles of the Act • Suggest a Task Team • Suggest a timeline
Conclusion • This is a period of intense activity which should be planned carefully and executed with the support of all Nursing Education Stakeholders