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 as a precious and practical substitute for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was talking in the course of an oversight visit into the post-school education and instruction (PSET) institutions from the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development in the country.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at examining the point out of readiness of better education institutions across the nation, forward in the 2025 academic year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to acquire delight in getting artisan expertise as they offer terrific entrepreneurship chances.
"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 concerns about student residences together with other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the discovered concerns.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the check here 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 the Welkom campus.
In the course of the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied website by critical 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 get more info of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative worries faced because of the NSFAS was within get more info the spotlight in the course of 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 here 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, with North West higher education institutions being the next on the list.
– SAnews.gov.za