Vocational Education and Training in Southern Africa

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A comparative study While Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems are increasingly seen as an important element of national socio-economic strategies internationally, the field of VET has been badly neglected in southern Africa, especially given the donor fascination with basic education since the World Conference on Education for All in 1990. Internationally VET in particular has been identified as an important tool in addressing youth unemployment and poverty, on the one hand, and promoting international competitiveness on the other. The growing policy interest internationally in these systems has spawned a wide range of policy reform processes, often driven by international development agencies. This volume seeks to engage critically with the growing donor orthodoxies and assumptions about the future shape and impact of VET systems. It examines the complexities through a unique comparative study of seven countries in southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. The Transformation of Vocational Education and Training in Southern Africa examines the role that VET can play in supporting social and economic development goals, and examines the major VET policy reforms and the creation of new institutions are either underway or planned in all seven countries under study in this book.

List of tables and figures

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

1. THE MULTIPLE CONTEXTS OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Simon McGrath

Introduction
The historical legacy
International influences
This study

2. BOTSWANA: UNITED IN PURPOSE, DIVERSE IN PRACTICE
Salim Akoojee

Introduction
The socio-political, economic and development context
The educational context
The TVET system
Recent developments
Conclusion

3. LESOTHO: THE UPHILL JOURNEY TO DEVELOPMENT
Thomas Magau

Contextual realities
The educational context
The VET system
Conclusion

4. MAURITIUS: `THE SINGAPORE OF AFRICA?’ SKILLS FOR A GLOBAL ISLAND
Anthony Gewer

The country context
The educational context
The VET system
Summary and conclusions

5. MOZAMBIQUE: TOWARDS REHABILITATION AND TRANSFORMATION
Nimrod Mbele

Introduction
The country context
The educational context
The TVET system
Key issues in Mozambican TVET
Conclusion

6. NAMIBIA: REPOSITIONING VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Mahlubi Mabizela

Introduction
Locating Namibia
The education system
The VET system
Current vision and changes in the VET system
Conclusion

7. SOUTH AFRICA: SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Salim Akoojee, Anthony Gewer and Simon McGrath

Introduction
Setting the scene: Economic and development contexts
The educational context
The unfinished business of building a new integrated VET system
Building bridges? Attempts to strengthen the integration of education and training
A decade on: Assessing and explaining successes and failures

8. THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND: ESCAPING THE COLONIAL LEGACY
Jennifer Roberts

Introduction
The social and economic context
The Swaziland education system
VET in Swaziland
Emerging policy issues and directions

9. KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FOR TRANSFORMATION
Simon McGrath

Understanding the extent and limits of regional convergence in VET policy
A vision for VET?
VET and the bigger policy picture
The VET debates
Conclusion

BIBLIOGRAPHY

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Dr Simon McGrath was previously a research director in the Research Programme on Human Resources Development at the Human Sciences Research Council and is currently a Reader the School of Comparative Education Research at the University of Nottingham, England.

Salim Akoojee is a chief researcher in the Human Resources Development research programme and has published extensively in the areas of teaching and learning and more recently, higher education quality assurance.

Anthony Gewer is an independent education policy consultant, specialising in the Further Education and Training arena.