5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to think about the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges being a useful and practical alternative for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking through an oversight visit to your post-school education and schooling (PSET) institutions while in the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development within the country.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as Cape Peninsula {University of Technological know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at examining the state of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, forward of your 2025 educational year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to just take delight in attaining artisan expertise as they provide terrific entrepreneurship opportunities.
"I am 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 issues about student residences along with other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the identified difficulties.
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 Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
In the visits, read more the Deputy Minister has become accompanied by critical senior officers from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy more info Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative problems confronted with the NSFAS was from the spotlight in the click here Free State leg on the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time with here no delays. Delays cause serious challenges for learners; learners need allowances to eat and to buy hygiene products. 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 tvet colleges open for late applications establish the 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