5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to take into account the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges like a valuable and feasible different for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was talking during an oversight visit for the post-school education and schooling (PSET) establishments during the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as very important for job creation and youth skills development within the region.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits directed at evaluating the condition of readiness of larger education institutions across the country, in advance on the 2025 academic year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to just take pleasure in obtaining artisan competencies as they offer 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 concerns about student residences together with other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to work 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 the Welkom campus.
Throughout the visits, the Deputy Minister is accompanied by important senior officers from Higher Education and Training, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has more info also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative challenges confronted via the NSFAS was in the spotlight in the course of the Free State leg of 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 check here 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 special meeting of the Post Education click here and Training sector held in January 2025, to establish the state of readiness for the 2025 academic year.
The Deputy get more info 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