Two ministries of Education - a good idea?

Mail and Guardian journalist Matuma Letsoalo has been speaking to Collins Chabane, who he describes as, "ANC strategist and the head of the party's transitional management team".

Chabane has told the M&G that the Education ministry will be split into two. One will be responsible for primary and secondary education (and one assumes ECD as well) and the other will focus on higher education and vocational.

The vocational element is said to include FET Colleges and the Setas.

The M&G quotes Chabane as saying, "The move is partly designed to bring to an end long-standing turf battles between the departments of labour and education and foster a cooperative approach to skills development.

"We need to have one coordinated training ministry in the country that will focus on the provision of skills."

Sounds like a great idea to me, but the challenge is always in the operational phase. If there are merger tensions it can be very disruptive. And does the fact of one ministry, or two really impact on the quality of the education children receive at school?

But who will head this new deparment of HE and vocational? Minister Naledi Pandor is hard working and efficient as the head of the current Education Ministry and she is high on the ANC's NEC so clearly politically powerful as well. Then again she also went public last week in support of the Education Ministry staying as it is. If the split goes ahead it will be a blow to her authority.

After ten years as Minister of Labour I would think that Minister Membathisi Mdladlana will be happy to move on. A position at the ILO in Geneva would surely be something he would relish.

What do others think about the idea of splitting the current Education department and moving the skills development initiatives to be grouped with universities?

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