Cabinet has approved the integration of South Africa’s agricultural colleges into the Department of Higher Education and Training.
Cabinet spokesperson Phumla Williams said cabinet had approved the establishment of agricultural colleges as the competency of higher education colleges in terms of the Higher Education Act.
“The agricultural colleges, which are currently under the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, provide programmes that are aligned to higher education qualifications which include skills training and vocational programmes,” Williams said.
She said their relocation would align them to the Higher Education Act and improve their governance and management South Africa’s higher education sector has 12 agricultural colleges that other specialized training.
Ten of the country’s 26 public universities also offer agricultural science degree programmes up to doctoral level. There have been calls over the years for the overhaul of agricultural colleges in the country and to transform them into centres of excellence.
In 2015, cabinet decided to move agricultural colleges from provinces to the national Department of Higher Education and Training. A task team was appointed to investigate the implications of the transfer of authority.
