30 September 2014

To:	Nursing Education Institutions
	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	All Stakeholders

Legacy Nursing Education and Training Programmes that will be NO LONGER OFFERED after 30 June 2015

 

Purpose

To inform all stakeholders about the date on which the offering of certain Legacy Nursing Education and Training programmes will be discontinued.

 

Background

The end date of enrolment for the Legacy Nursing Qualifications is 30 June 2015, with a teach out period of two years as prescribed by South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).  The production of nurses who have undergone the Course Leading to Enrolment as a Nurse (Government Notice No. R.2175 of 19 November 1993 as amended) or Course Leading to Enrolment as Nursing Auxiliary (Government Notice No. R.2176 of 19 November 1993 as amended) has increased alarmingly over the last five years.  The table below provides the empirical evidence on the production of these categories of nurses.

Table 1A 

Category	Students who passed examinations
	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
ENA	5779	5125	5232	5009	5901
EN	7493	7511	7391	7732	8954

 Table 1B

Category	SANC Register
	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
ENA	62440	63472	64526	65969	67895
EN	48078	52370	55408	58722	63788

 

It is against this background that the Council resolved that the following Legacy Nursing Qualifications must be discontinued, paving the way for the implementation of the New Nursing Qualifications:

 

1)    The Course Leading to Enrolment as a Nurse (Government Notice No. R.2175 of 19 November 1993 as amended).

2)    The Course Leading to Enrolment as a Nursing Auxiliary (Government Notice No. R.2176 of 19 November 1993 as amended).

 

The Council further resolved that the prospective applicants who wish to offer new qualifications (Higher Certificate: Auxiliary Nurse; Government Notice No. R.169 of 8 March 2013 and Diploma in Nursing: Staff Nurse; Government Notice No. R.171 of 8 March 2013) must apply to:

 

1)    Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in order to obtain a registration certificate and number

2)    South African Nursing Council (SANC) and submit the programmes in order to get endorsement letter from SANC

3)    Council on Higher Education (CHE) and submit the programmes for accreditation.

 

All prospective applicants are advised to visit the SANC website (www.sanc.co.za) and to download the following documents for further information:

 

1)    Circular 6/2012 and Circular 8/2013 (these can be found in the Archive page).

2)    Revised Qualifications Frameworks issued in July 2014.

 

This circular becomes implementable on the date of its issue.

 

For further clarity on this circular, you are advised to contact the Senior Manager: Education and Training; Dr S.W. Mkhize.

 

Yours sincerely

 

(Signed)

Mr. T. Mabuda 
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council