Masters and short term learning programmes in environmental water requirements

A masters learning programme in environmental water requirements was launched in South Africa by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in collaboration with the Water Research Commission (WRC), United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) after assessing the educational and training needs in integrated water resources management in South Africa at national, provincial and community levels. The master’s programme was finalised after evaluating the education and training needs of the DWS and that of other government departments, non-governmental organisations and the private sector. The assessment took into account various imperatives, including South Africa being a country in transition, its affirmative action policy, staff and career development concerns, capacity building required for achieving sustainable development and the need to link and interact with efforts by Southern Africa and the international community.
The major challenge in South Africa is the lack of appropriately-qualified individuals with sufficient experience to implement the provisions of the National Water Act, (Act No.36 of 1998-NWA), in order to ensure the achievement of integrated water resources management (IWRM). New concepts were introduced such as Reserve and Classification that existing practitioners had to familiarise themselves with before they could implement it in terms of licensing requirements. Inadequate and fragmented implementation of transfer of knowledge and capacity has the potential to hinder endeavours to manage water resources in ways that address issues of equity, sustainability and efficiency, and contribute to social and economic development and the eradication of poverty.
The course aims to provide training at a professional scientific level that qualifies candidates on a nationally and internationally recognised level to achieve a holistic understanding of the processes, functions and components of inland and estuarine aquatic ecosystems for management purposes. The programme is composed of ten modules including mini-dissertation. It can be accomplished through one year full time or two years part-time study.
The Masters and short term learning programmes are available in hard copy or downloadable from the WRC website under Masters Report (TT 653/15)