5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to evaluate the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to be a important and viable choice for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking throughout an oversight visit on the post-school education and teaching (PSET) establishments while in the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development from the country.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward assessing the point out of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, forward in the 2025 academic year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to get satisfaction in obtaining artisan abilities as they provide fantastic entrepreneurship options.
"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 get more info second part get more info of the visit, students at CPUT expressed problems about student residences as well as other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the recognized troubles.
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 more info the Welkom campus.
Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by essential senior officers 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 with website all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative issues faced from the NSFAS was from the spotlight in the course of the Free State leg of the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to read more ensure that student allowances are paid on time with 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 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