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 like a precious and viable substitute for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was talking for the duration of an oversight visit to the post-school education and instruction (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development in the region.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as the Cape Peninsula {University of Technologies (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed toward assessing the condition of readiness of better education institutions across the nation, forward with the 2025 educational year.
In the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to choose pleasure in obtaining artisan expertise as they offer fantastic 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, students at CPUT expressed worries about student residences along with other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the identified challenges.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows get more info her recent visit to higher education institutions coastal tvet college in the Free State where she visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
In the course of the visits, the Deputy Minister is accompanied by crucial senior officials from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student get more info 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 here difficulty of funding and administrative troubles faced because of 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 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, read more with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za