5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has encouraged learners to think about the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as being a important and practical alternate for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was talking throughout an oversight visit towards the post-school education and coaching (PSET) establishments during the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development during the place.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward examining the state of readiness of bigger education institutions across the country, ahead in the 2025 educational year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to just take delight in obtaining artisan capabilities as they supply fantastic entrepreneurship alternatives.
"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 website coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, students at CPUT expressed considerations about college student residences and other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the recognized 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 and the Central University check here of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
In the course of the visits, the Deputy Minister has get more info become accompanied by important 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 read more delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative challenges confronted from the NSFAS was in the spotlight over the Free State leg in 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 website 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