5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to evaluate the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges being a valuable and viable substitute for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking all through an oversight visit towards the post-school education and education (PSET) institutions during the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development within the country.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as Cape Peninsula {University of Technology (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits geared toward assessing the state of readiness of increased education institutions across the nation, in advance of the 2025 educational year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to take satisfaction in obtaining artisan expertise as they provide wonderful entrepreneurship prospects.
"I'm very encouraged by what I'm seeing at TVET colleges, I believe they are the future of this country. TVETs are producing artisans with much needed skills [and] also offer opportunities for learners to acquire future skills, such as robotics, AI [Artificial intelligence], and coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, students at CPUT expressed fears about college student residences and also other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the determined challenges.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in the Free State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of more info Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister is accompanied by crucial senior officials from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting more info with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative challenges confronted via the NSFAS was during the spotlight in the Free State leg with the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time with no check here delays. Delays cause serious challenges for learners; learners need allowances to eat and to buy hygiene products. get more info This is important for their sense of wellbeing and dignity," Gondwe said.
Gondwe embarked on the state of readiness visits following a plan of action, announced by Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at the special meeting of the Post Education and Training sector held in January 2025, to establish the click here state of readiness for the 2025 academic year.
The Deputy Minister's oversight is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za