Five-Year Strategic Plan: SA Management Development Institute briefing

Meeting report

PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
7 September 2005
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN: SA MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE BRIEFING

Chairperson: Mr J Gomomo (ANC)

Documents handed out:
SAMDI Strategic Plan, June 2005 – October 2009/10

SUMMARY
The Committee was briefed by the SA Management Development Institute (SAMDI) on its Strategic Plan for 2005 - 2010. Sound financial management had enabled the organisation to receive an unqualified audit report from the Auditor-General. However, delivery problems were a result of the under-trained public service. One solution was to train a dedicated pool of civil servants for specific purposes. SAMDI wanted to curb overspending on expensive short training courses.

Members’ were concerned that the re-deployment of employed civil servants could ‘backfire’. There was inadequate monitoring of training of Community Development Workers. The possible overlap between the role of the Public Service Sector Education Training Authority and SAMDI was also problematic.

MINUTES

SA Management Development Institute briefing
Mr Bobby Soobrayan, Department Director General (D-G), briefed Members on SAMDI’s Strategic Plan. For the past financial year, SAMDI had had an unqualified audit report from the Auditor-General’s office due to its proper financial management.

His briefing focussed on human resources and development challenges facing the public sector. Delivery capacity required the improvement of management competencies, career planning and performance management. Strategic priorities included improvement of the cost-effectiveness and spending on quality training. Much money had been used to train junior managers but it was actually cheaper to use university training.

Other strategic priorities were improving research, internal business and knowledge management processes, sound financial management, and the development of local government capacity. SAMDI had developed a new training model to increase the pool of competent public servants. This model combined the French, Indian and the current South African models. There were plans to improve the long-term supply of new recruits into the junior ranks of the public service, possibly through establishing a dedicated Further Education Training (FET) college. The trainees would then be deployed to areas of greatest need. SAMDI had also been providing training for provincial and national departments.

Regarding international relations, SAMDI had formed valuable partnerships with equivalent bodies such in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sudan.

Discussion
Dr U Roopnarian (IFP) felt that since SAMDI had managed to put their house in order financially and otherwise, the organisation was moving in the right direction. She asked whether were there overlaps between SAMDI and the Public Sector Services Education Training Authorities (SETA).

The D-G replied that there were some overlaps. The Department of Public Service and Administration and the Public Services SETA had been co-operating with the SAMDI on various issues.

Ms P Mashangoane (ANC) wanted to know how the proposed dedicated FET college would differ from existing colleges. The D-G replied that a dedicated FET was still at the "idea" stage, and had not yet been discussed with the Minister. All FET colleges specialised in different fields.

Mr M Mzondeki (ANC) asked how the training of Community Development Workers (CDWs) was monitored. He cited an example of a municipality in Kroonstad that did not know how to provide in-service training. He then cautioned SAMDI about the deployment of public servants that were already working, because it could lead to problems.

The D-G replied that deployment would apply to learner applicants who had been accepted for training. They would be obliged to comply with the conditions of the scholarship, as was the case in the health sector.

Ms T Maantha, Department Chief Director, replied that SAMDI had developed the curriculum for the CDW programme, but the municipalities were responsible for training.

Mr B Mthembu (ANC) asked whether SAMDI relied only on English in the training of public servants. Were there age differences between South African public servants and their African counterparts?

The D-G replied that the use of indigenous languages had always been a recurrent problem. When people were recruited, they were expected to be conversant in the language/s of that area.

Mr Mthembu enquired why all departments had been complaining about capacity. He commended SAMDI for aligning their strategy and implementation plan, and felt that they were on a correct path. The D-G said that there was a need to look at institutional skills, rather than individual skills, to strengthen capacity.

Mr Mzondeki asked for a clarification of the role of SAMDI in Project Consolidate, so that Members could inform their constituencies about this.

The D-G replied that the Department of Local Government was responsible for training local municipalities through the Local Government Academy. SAMDI could not clearly define the relationship. A clearly defined plan would be made available to Members towards the end of the year.

The Chairperson felt that Members should be invited to the meetings of SAMDI and other African partner institutions.

The D-G said that SAMDI had been very careful not to be seen as dominating African forums. If Members were invited, then other African countries would want their Committees invited too. The forum report would be forwarded to the Committee in due course.

Ms Mashangoane encouraged the D-G to follow up on the idea of a dedicated FET college. Mr Mzondeki added that SAMDI could play a valuable role by advising the Public Service SETA on appropriate training programmes.

The Chairperson was impressed by the work of SAMDI and their regular reports to the Committee. South Africa had an obligation to learn from other African countries that had experienced similar problems.

The meeting was adjourned.