5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to consider the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to be a precious and practical substitute for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was talking for the duration of an oversight visit to the post-school education and instruction (PSET) establishments during the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as vital for job creation and youth skills development while in the state.
The Deputy Minister frequented the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and the Cape Peninsula {University of Technological know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits aimed at assessing the state of readiness of greater education institutions across the country, ahead in the 2025 academic year.
In the course of the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to just take delight in buying artisan techniques as they provide good 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 worries about student residences along with other facilities. The check here Deputy Minister directed the establishment to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily solve the recognized problems.
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 the Welkom campus.
Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister continues to be accompanied by key 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 of the delegation, more info assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative issues faced by the NSFAS was during the spotlight over 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 umfolozi tvet college 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 motheo tvet college 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 read more the list.
– SAnews.gov.za