SA Unveils Sweeping Overhaul of Post-School Education to Boost Skills, Jobs, and Access

The overhaul represents one of the most comprehensive reform packages in South Africa’s education history, setting the stage for a more skilled, employable, and future-ready generation.

The South African government has announced an ambitious reform programme to transform the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector, with the aim of creating a more equitable, efficient, and future-ready system capable of delivering the skills and knowledge required for a rapidly changing economy.

The reforms, unveiled by Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, come in response to a fragmented and underperforming PSET sector marked by skills mismatches, institutional inefficiencies, unstable funding models, and limited opportunities for many young South Africans.

“We will reimagine and reengineer our post-school education and training system for a changing world. South Africa deserves a system that delivers skills, knowledge, and opportunity for all,” Manamela said at a media briefing in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Short-Term Reforms: Stabilisation and Strategic Action

Over the next three months, the department will focus on urgent priorities, including:

• Stabilising the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and initiating a sustainable student funding model.

• Establishing the PSET Reengineering Task Team, bringing together experts from multiple sectors to guide systemic redesign.

• Strengthening Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) oversight, finalising their realignment, and ensuring measurable value delivery.

• Opening discussions with the National Treasury on long-term funding solutions.

The Department of Higher Education and Training will also launch three strategic projects:

1. Skills to Work Transitions – targeting unemployed youth who are not in education or training.

2. Career Choices (currently known as Khetha) – guiding learners from an early stage towards education and career pathways.

3. Adult Literacy – addressing the needs of the estimated four million functionally illiterate adults in South Africa.

Medium-Term Goals: Pilots, New Models, and Curriculum Innovation

Within 12 months, the department plans to:

• Pilot autonomous colleges and new Community Education and Training (CET) models to improve agility and responsiveness.

• Review the CET landscape to enhance its role in community development.

• Launch Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum pilots aligned with emerging industries and growth sectors.

• Establish a national PSET database for improved planning and accountability.

• Roll out the National Senior Certificate for Adults (NASCA) as an alternative pathway for school leavers.

• Complete legislative reviews to address contradictions and gaps that undermine system coherence.

Manamela also announced the creation of a multi-sectoral task team to consolidate three decades of policy reforms, learning from milestones such as the Fees Must Fall movement and previous institutional mergers. The goal is to shape a planned transformation agenda for the next generation.

Long-Term Vision: Digital Learning, Industry Partnerships, and Sustainability

Looking ahead over the next four years, the department’s focus will be on:

• Fully implementing the sustainable student funding model.

• Consolidating SETA and CET reforms.

• Expanding digital learning to ensure all learners benefit from technology-enabled education.

• Embedding career guidance and lifelong learning pathways from school to retirement.

• Strengthening research and innovation capacity to generate African-led solutions.

• Enhancing partnerships with industry, public sector, and global institutions.

• Ensuring the system delivers a measurable return on public investment.

Six Core Objectives to Guide the Transformation

The reforms are anchored in six key objectives:

1. Integrate the system into a single, coordinated whole.

2. Expand equitable access for all who can benefit.

3. Ensure responsiveness to economic, labour market, and societal needs.

4. Raise quality in provision and learning outcomes.

5. Improve efficiency, governance, and accountability.

6. Guarantee sustainability in funding, stability, and public trust.

Five Strategic Pillars for a Future-Ready PSET Sector

These objectives align with five overarching strategic pillars:

• Economic Renewal and Jobs – aligning graduate skills with growth sectors to boost employability.

• A Green Just Transition – making the skills system a driver of climate resilience and low-carbon innovation.

• Building Public Sector Capacity – ensuring the state can deliver effectively for its citizens.

• Research and Innovation – strengthening intellectual sovereignty and fostering solutions from Africa for Africa and the world.

• Social Inclusion – ensuring that no one is left behind, whether in rural villages, townships, informal settlements, or urban centres.

Infrastructure and Safety Commitments

The reforms also include accelerated infrastructure upgrades and enhanced campus safety measures across the PSET system, recognising that conducive and secure learning environments are essential for academic success and student well-being.

Manamela emphasised that this transformation is about deliberate, structured change rather than reactive crisis management:

“The aim is simple – to build a single, coherent, and high-performing post-school education and training system that is fit for purpose in a changing world.”

The overhaul represents one of the most comprehensive reform packages in South Africa’s education history, setting the stage for a more skilled, employable, and future-ready generation.