5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to consider the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges for a beneficial and viable substitute for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was talking for the duration of an oversight visit into the post-school education and schooling (PSET) institutions inside the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development inside the place.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological innovation (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at evaluating the state of readiness of better education institutions across the nation, ahead on the 2025 educational year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to choose delight in attaining artisan skills as they offer excellent 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 college student residences and various amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council here (SRC), to speedily take care of get more info the discovered challenges.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent read more 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.
During the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by crucial 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 more info related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative issues confronted because of the NSFAS was inside the spotlight in the course of the Free State leg with 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 capricorn tvet college 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