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 important and feasible alternate for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was speaking for the duration of an oversight visit into the post-school education and schooling (PSET) establishments inside the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as crucial for job creation and youth skills development from the country.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, plus the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward examining the point out of readiness of greater education institutions across the country, forward of your 2025 educational year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to consider delight in buying artisan techniques as they provide terrific entrepreneurship opportunities.
"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, get more info college students at CPUT expressed fears about college student residences and various amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the discovered here 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 click here and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Over the visits, the Deputy Minister here has long been accompanied by essential 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 with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The difficulty of funding and administrative problems confronted with the NSFAS was within the spotlight in the 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 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 click here is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za