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 for a useful and feasible substitute for advancing their occupations.
The Deputy Minister was speaking during an oversight visit for the post-school education and coaching (PSET) institutions during the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe explained the TVET colleges as important for job creation and youth skills development while in the region.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and also the Cape Peninsula {University of Technology (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits directed at evaluating the state of readiness of increased education institutions across the country, in advance in the 2025 educational year.
Over the visit at West Coast College, she encouraged learners to take delight in getting artisan abilities as they provide wonderful entrepreneurship possibilities.
"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 esayidi tvet college second part of the visit, students at CPUT expressed issues about college student residences together with other services. The Deputy Minister directed the institution to operate with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily resolve the identified 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.
In the visits, the Deputy Minister has long been accompanied by essential senior officials from Higher Education and Training, and the click here National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The Deputy Minister’s dedicated Help Desk has also formed part of the delegation, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The difficulty of funding and administrative issues confronted because of the NSFAS was inside the spotlight throughout the Free State leg of your coastal tvet college 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 website Nobuhle Nkabane at the special meeting of the Post Education and Training sector held in January 2025, to read more 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