PURPOSE

• To provide support for Public Nursing Colleges to ensure adequate, quality production and supply of nurses to address community needs.
• To inform nursing education institutions and strategic stakeholders regarding the South African Nursing Council (SANC ) standpoint about Public Nursing Colleges in transitioning to Higher Education as per National Qualifications Framework Act, Act No.67 of 2008

OBJECTIVES

• Promote and maintain a high standard and quality of nursing and midwifery education and training;
• Guide the production of sufficient numbers and the appropriate categories of nurses required to deliver healthcare services within the policy framework for the healthcare system.

LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK

• The following pieces of legislation guide this standpoint.
• Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act (No. 108 of 1996) bullet Higher Education Act (No.101 of 1997)
• Higher Education Amendment Act (No. 39 of 2008)
• National Qualifications Act (No.67 of 2008)
• Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005)
• Health Act (No. 63 of 2003)

PRINCIPLES GUIDING NURSING EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• SANC has the primary function of regulating education and training of nurses and midwives, therefore, SANC must drive the process of any changes to maximize compliance and adherence.
• The primary aim of nursing education and training is to provide adequate numbers of competent, caring nurses to meet the health needs of the country.
• The Department of Health has a responsibility to ensure that this primary aim is realized.
• Sufficient well trained nurse educators are required in both the clinical and theoretical areas to support and teach nursing students to ensure integration of theory and practice
• Nursing education and training must be harmonized with the service needs of the health services to ensure qualifications are commensurate with scopes of practice.
• Nursing education must be in line with legislative requirements. 
• The quality of the health facilities and the quality of supervision where students are placed for clinical learning opportunities has a profound impact on the quality of learning. The competence of trained nurses is therefore important for the provision of adequate health care and for teaching.
• The current capacity and quality of nursing education institutions needs to be improved and monitored.
• Aligning nursing education through re-engineering Primary Health Care ward-based training in order to strengthen Primary Health Care teams which comprise of Advanced Midwives, Paediatric Nurses, Primary Health Care Nurses and School Health Nurses.