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 as being a important and feasible option for advancing their careers.
The Deputy Minister was talking all through an oversight visit for the post-school education and instruction (PSET) establishments from the Western Cape this week.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development during the country.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, plus the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits targeted at evaluating the state of readiness of better education institutions across the nation, in advance of your 2025 educational year.
During the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to take pride in acquiring artisan skills as they offer great 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 tvet colleges open for late applications of the visit, college students at CPUT expressed problems about college student residences and also other services. The website Deputy Minister directed the institution to work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the determined concerns.
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.
Through 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 website Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The problem of funding and administrative problems confronted through the NSFAS was within the spotlight in the course of the Free State leg in 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 letaba tvet college the special meeting of the Post Education and Training sector held in January 2025, tvet colleges open 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