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 being a important and practical different for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking all through an oversight visit on the post-school education and instruction (PSET) institutions during the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development from the nation.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at assessing the condition of readiness of larger education institutions across the country, ahead in the 2025 educational year.
In the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to get pleasure in obtaining artisan competencies as they provide excellent entrepreneurship prospects.
"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 problems about college student residences and 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 where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at get more info the Welkom campus.
In the visits, the Deputy Minister has been accompanied by key senior officers from elangeni tvet college 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 problem of funding and administrative issues faced from the NSFAS was within the spotlight during the Free State leg of your 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 more info Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at the click here 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 get more info oversight is expected to continue in other provinces, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za