5th February 2025
Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, has inspired learners to look at the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges as being a precious and practical alternate for advancing their professions.
The Deputy Minister was talking during an oversight visit on the post-school education and instruction (PSET) institutions in the Western Cape this 7 days.
Gondwe described the TVET colleges as essential for job creation and youth skills development during the place.
The Deputy Minister visited the West Coast College Vredenburg Campus, and the Cape Peninsula {University of Know-how (CPUT) Bellville Campus in Cape Town.
Gondwe's visits geared toward examining the state of readiness of increased education institutions across the country, forward with the 2025 academic year.
Throughout the visit at West Coast College, she inspired learners to take pride in buying artisan expertise as they provide wonderful entrepreneurship opportunities.
"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, AI [Artificial intelligence], and coding," Gondwe said.
At the second part of the visit, students at CPUT expressed issues about student residences together with other amenities. The Deputy Minister directed the establishment to here work with the Student Representative Council (SRC), to speedily take care of the discovered challenges.
The Deputy Minister’s visit click here 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.
Over the click here visits, the Deputy Minister has actually been accompanied by critical 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, assisting with all higher education related queries on each visit.
The issue of funding and administrative challenges faced by the NSFAS was during the spotlight over the Free State leg from the visits.
"NSFAS needs to get check here its act together, in order to ensure that student allowances are paid on time with no delays. Delays cause serious tvet college courses 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 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