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 Institution Higher 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

HE funding formula

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.

Criteria Numbers Input1-9 Process10-16 Outcomes and impact17-19

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