Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela says South Africa must strengthen local academic capacity, while ensuring institutions comply with immigration and labour laws in the employment of foreign academics.
Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has warned against misinformation and vague claims in the debate over the employment of foreign academics in South Africa’s post-school education and training sector, saying institutions must comply with the law while the country strengthens its own academic pipeline.
Manamela appeared before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training on Wednesday to brief MPs on updated figures on the employment of foreign academics across the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector.
The briefing followed a request from the committee for more detailed and disaggregated data on foreign nationals employed in higher education institutions.
According to Higher Education and Training spokesperson, Matshepo Seedat, the minister told the committee that the debate had become clouded by vague categories and misinformation, but stressed that the law governing the employment of foreign nationals was "not negotiable".
