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 to be a valuable and viable different for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit towards the post-school education and instruction (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as essential for job creation and youth skills development within the country.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, plus the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological innovation (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at evaluating the state of readiness of larger education institutions across the country, in advance of the 2025 educational year.
Through the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to get satisfaction in acquiring artisan skills as they offer terrific entrepreneurship options.
"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, college students at CPUT expressed worries about student residences together with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of 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.
Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister has actually been accompanied by essential senior officials from more info 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 all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative difficulties faced from the NSFAS was while in the spotlight during the Free website State leg of the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to 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 get more info important for their sense of wellbeing and dignity," Gondwe said.
Gondwe embarked on the state of sedibeng tvet college readiness visits following a plan of action, announced by Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at the website 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