Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has found that more than 25 000 students enrolled for learnerships at multiple Sector Education and Training Authority (Setas) at the same time during the 2022-23 financial year.
Maluleke found that the tourism course has the highest number of students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme at TVET colleges.
The audit, which focused on the optimal use of resources within the higher education sector, also found “ghost” students as beneficiaries of learnership programmes at Setas and possibly fraud.
Maluleke said her office conducted data analytics across TVET colleges to check an opportunity to improve the quality of expenditure.
“South Africa invests significantly in the sector.
“It is hoped that the investment will help young people to realise their dreams and ambitions but also equip them to participate in the economy with skills that are relevant for today and importantly tomorrow and meet the economic growth ambitions,” she said.
Maluleke said they found that a majority of students were enrolled for engineering at TVET colleges, but a significant number were in tourism and office administration.
During the audit, AGSA compared the bursaries awarded by Nsfas against the students enrolled at the TVET colleges.
“Tourism has the highest representation of the Nsfas funded students at TVET colleges. Nsfas funds a high number of students that go to do a course in office administration at TVET colleges,” Maluleke said.
Although there was nothing wrong with tourism and office administration as courses, the question was the extent they were linked to the critical skills required for the future.
“What we see are opportunities for us to start correcting that. “If we don’t do it, we are wasting a significant opportunity and we are not going to get good returns on the investment we make in that sector.”
Maluleke said they found that Setas operated in silos and that there was a duplication of efforts among them.
The AG noted that the intention of Setas was to enrol young people for them to go find work opportunities.
There were also instances of students being beneficiaries of Setas, Nsfas and Funza Lushaka Bursary at the same time.
“You can’t blame the learners but the reality is that many don’t get jobs so this becomes a way of earning an income.”
Maluleke put the figure of students that were double-dipping at more than 20 000.
“Not less than 23 000 of them are in multiple Setas at the same time,” she said.
The AG said it was time that the Setas started to operate differently and not in silos anymore.
It was also crucial that data bases of the institutions were integrated and that there was collaboration within the higher education sector.
“We have also seen there are learners who are on learnership at Seta but when you check their IDs at the Department of Home Affairs, the ID number is not there.
“Worryingly, we also found learners on learnership and got stipends but are deceased at the Department of Home Affairs,” she added.
According to Maluleke, the insights her office shared on the sector were crucial for the economy and human development index.
“We believe this insight can help those that run the institutions and oversee the sector to do better,” she said.
Maluleke also said auditors in her office were energised by the work done on the higher education sector.
“When you have got fiscal pressure and economic growth problems, it is becoming ever important to ensure available resources are spent in the best possible way,” she said.
“It is urgent that we push back on things that deal with duplication, leakages and wastage,” Maluleke added.
Cape Times