5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to evaluate the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges for a important and viable different for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was talking during an oversight visit into the post-school education and training (PSET) establishments while in the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as crucial for job creation and youth skills development within the region.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, as well as the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits geared toward assessing the point out of readiness of higher education institutions across the nation, forward in the 2025 academic year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to take delight in obtaining artisan capabilities as they provide great entrepreneurship prospects.
"I am 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, get more info AI [Artificial intelligence], and coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, students at get more info CPUT expressed concerns about student residences together with other facilities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the identified troubles.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Western Cape, follows her recent visit to higher education institutions in the Free State where she letaba tvet college visited Goldfields TVET College and the Central University of Technology (CUT), at the Welkom campus.
Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister has been accompanied by crucial senior officers from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy here Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative difficulties confronted from the NSFAS was inside the spotlight through the Free State leg on 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 here 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