5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to take into account the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as a worthwhile and viable alternate for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was talking in the course of an oversight visit on the post-school education and instruction (PSET) establishments in the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as crucial for job creation and youth skills development inside the place.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Engineering (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at examining the state of readiness of higher education institutions across the country, forward on the 2025 educational year.
In the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to consider satisfaction in getting artisan techniques as they supply terrific entrepreneurship possibilities.
"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, college students at lephalale tvet college CPUT expressed fears about student residences along with other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the discovered challenges.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in the Free State click here where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Over the visits, the Deputy Minister has actually been accompanied by crucial 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 all higher education related queries on each visit.
The difficulty of funding more info and administrative problems confronted with the NSFAS was while in the spotlight through the Free State leg from the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances tvet colleges open 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 here continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za