5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to think about the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges for a valuable and practical alternate for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was speaking through an oversight visit into the post-school education and teaching (PSET) institutions within the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as essential for job creation and youth skills development during the state.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, along with the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward assessing the condition of readiness of higher education institutions across the nation, in advance on the 2025 educational year.
Through the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to consider delight in acquiring artisan capabilities as they supply excellent entrepreneurship prospects.
"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," esayidi tvet college Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, students at CPUT expressed worries about college student residences as well as other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the identified concerns.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education more info institutions in the Free State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Over the visits, the Deputy Minister has long been accompanied by key 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 check here with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative difficulties faced by the NSFAS was within the spotlight throughout the Free State leg from the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time with no delays. Delays tvet colleges open for late applications 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 here 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