The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, will virtually address the ceremony marking the process of assessing traditional healers' prior learning in a pilot project in KwaZulu-Natal, today, Monday, 26 September 2022.

This follows a call for applications to traditional healers in the province regarding the process for the recognition of prior learning in the Inyanga, Isangoma and Umbelethisi categories, as part of mainstreaming indigenous knowledge in South Africa. 

The recognition of prior learning project aims to provide a vehicle to recognise, standardise and professionalise indigenous knowledge holders' skills, experiences, learning and practices. 

The process seeks to affirm the discipline as a knowledge domain in its own right, thus increasing the base of human capabilities and skills needed for inclusive socio-economic development in South Africa. 

It supports the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Policy, which mandates the National IKS Office in the Department of Science and Innovation to address elements of indigenous knowledge that are not readily accommodated within the National Qualifications Framework.

The assessments are scheduled to run between 26 September and 8 October 2022.