Department of Higher Education and Training (South Africa)

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) was established in 2009 when the former Department of Education was divided into two sections: Basic Education and Higher Education and Training.

The mandate of the new Department included aspects of skills development which had previously resided in the Department of Labour.

The new Department was specifically established to focus on post-school education and training holistically and has extended its scope of operations extensively.

Our vision is of a South Africa in which we have a differentiated and fully-inclusive post-school system that allows South Africans to access relevant post-school education and training, in order to fulfil the economic and social goals of participation in an inclusive economy and society.

It is the mission of the Department of Higher Education and Training to develop capable, well-educated and skilled citizens who are able to compete in a sustainable, diversified and knowledge-intensive international economy, which meets the development goals of our country.

The Department will undertake this mission by reducing the skills bottlenecks, especially in priority and scarce skills areas, improving low participation rates in the post-school system , correcting distributions in the shape, size and distribution of access to post-school education and training and improving the quality and efficiency in the system, its sub-systems and institutions.